Digital Commons Network^™

Mixed-Methods Assessment Of Farmworkers’ Perceptions Of Workplace Compliance With Worker Protection Standards And Implications For Risk Perceptions And Protective Behaviors, Carly Hyland, Lisa Meierotto, Rebecca L. Som Castellano, Cynthia L. Curl

Public Health and Population Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Introduction: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s Worker Protection Standards is the primary set of legislation aimed at protecting farmworkers from occupational pesticide exposure in the United States. Previous studies suggest that worker adoption of Pesticide Protective Behaviors (PPBs) promoted by WPS is associated with lower urinary pesticide concentrations. However, adoption of PPBs is often outside of the control of individual farmworkers and dependent on workplace factors such as employer provisioning of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and access to trainings/resources.

Methods: We conducted a mixed-method study including urinary pesticide biomonitoring, surveys, and interviews with 62 Latinx farmworkers in southwestern Idaho from …

Soc 11 Introduction To Sociology, Gilbert Marzan

Open Educational Resources

This OER Syllabus is created by Dr. Gilbert Marzan for use in his Introduction to Sociology (Soc 11) course. This course will be taught as a ZTC course using the OpenStax Sociology OER textbook.

Gaining Ground: Toward The Development Of Critical Thinking Skills In A Social Problems Course, Ada Haynes, Jacob Kelley, Andrea Arce-Trigatti

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

The purpose of this article is to contribute to the scholarship of teaching and learning in sociology by examining a set of course redesign improvements made in a Social Problems course at the undergraduate level. These improvements center on increasing students’ critical thinking skills by integrating research-based, innovation-driven learning and student-centered strategies into a four-part course assessment redesign. Using a primarily case study approach, we examine quantitative data in the form of an interdisciplinary pre- and post- Critical thinking Assessment Test (CAT) from students enrolled in one iteration of the redesign for this particular course. Results from this analysis highlight …

Bikeability Disparities In Orange County, California: Intersection Of Place And Demographics, Jeanette Gritton, Maria Cristina Martinez, Georgiana Bostean, Megan Thiele Strong

Sociology Faculty Articles and Research

Active transportation modes such as walking and biking are gaining popularity for their extensive health and environmental benefits, yet scholars know little about how place-based accessibility varies by area sociodemographic composition. This study is among the first to examine sociodemographic disparities (by both race and socioeconomic status) in bikeability while allowing for heterogeneity in disparities. Consideration of bikeability disparities is particularly critical within the framework of urban planning concepts that promote equitable accessibility and reduced dependency on automobiles, such as the 15-minute city. Geographically Weighted Regressions examined associations between census tract-level bikeability (using an index that combines five components), socioeconomic …

Early Intervention Within Orthodontics: The Sociological Aspects, Trenton Hammond

Honors Theses

Orthodontic treatment is one of the final phases of dental treatment. Its use is to provide aesthetics in some cases, yet the quality-of-life aspect that it can provide is greatly underestimated. Orthodontic care can provide proper function of teeth, improve facial structure, avoid tooth decay/loss, and improve gum health (AAO, 2024). Within this research the overarching goal is to understand the sociological aspects of families looking to start orthodontic care, what the reasons behind starting or not starting are, and providing information to the public about orthodontics that may be misunderstood or might push people away from searching for orthodontic …

Singing The Blues: Sociology/Sociologists In Challenging Times, Karen Young Ph.D., Rodger A. Bates

The Journal of Public and Professional Sociology

Numerous challenges confront higher education in post-pandemic America. Demographics, inflation, political conflict and technology have altered the environment of higher education. In particular, sociology has struggled to maintain enrollment, program appeal and relevance. In Georgia, sociology is at a crossroads for students, faculty and the future of the discipline.

Beyond Craigslist Personal Ads: Contemporary Usage Of The Label T4t, Madi Lou Alexander

Student Research Symposium

Trans for trans relationships (t4t) are a special type of connection specific to transgender individuals, whether in the process of [re]affirming one’s gender identity and/or finding and building community. Originating from Craigslist personal ads, t4t indicates a trans person seeking out another trans person. What are these t4t relationships like for the trans people involved in them? With this research, I hope to evaluate and define the range of what t4t relationships are, hypothesize how t4t relations foster a sense of connection for the transgender individuals in said relationships, and explain why community amongst those who identify as transgender is …

Differences In Ninth Graders’ Attitudes Towards Math Depending On Immigrant-Generation Status, Karla V. Santana Martinez, Dara Shifrer

Student Research Symposium

Introduction

Math is a subject that is often perceived as challenging and sometimes referred to as a universal language because the symbols and organization are the same from country to country. However, immigrant students can face obstacles such as language barriers that can make math even more challenging regardless of the universal language belief.

Methods

This research integrates the data from the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 on 20,000 ninth graders. The ninth graders were asked questions about math and their feelings on the subject.

Results

Among students with the highest scores on the standardized math test, the math …

Gangism: An 'Elementary Form Of Religious Life', Robert Northman

Student Research Symposium

This study is intended to examine the question: could gangs be a form of religion? The study will examine Steven Cureton's ethnographic case study of a street gang as found in his work titled Hoover Crips (2008), where I will then analyze the findings within the sociological framework of Emile Durkheim’s theory of religion as set forth in his classic book titled Elementary Forms of Religious Life (1912).

This exploration faces challenges as the terms “gang” and “religion” are both hotly contested, and discussions on each have largely occurred independently, leaving a significant gap for this research to address. This …

Social Theory From The Second Person Perspective, Connor Cosgrove

Major Papers

This paper relies on the work of Charles Taylor, Rahel Jaeggi, and Harmut Rosa to develop a method of ‘second-person critique.’ This is developed in opposition to first-person critique, otherwise known as self criticism, and third-person critique, which I take to be representative of instrumental reason. I criticize instrumental reason from Taylor’s perspective, while also relying on Martin Heidegger and Martin Buber to do the same. To further develop Rosa’s theory of resonance, I rely on David Graeber. I conclude by suggesting that while phenomenology has long accounted for our embodied relationship to the world, a ‘resonant phenomenology’ that includes …

Sustainable Development: What’S The Problem Here? A Post-Structural Discourse Analysis Of The Global Reporting Initiative, Jenniffer Barnett

Master's Theses

The purpose of the study was to critically analyze how the problem of sustainable development is constructed in the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and identify what underlying assumptions and historical events produced the problematization as the GRI aims to guide global behavior. The study explored how governing took place by identifying what was silenced in the problem representation and the discursive effects and subject positions it produced. Carol Bacchi's (2009) "What’s the problem represented to be?" (WPR) facilitated this Foucault-influenced poststructural discourse analysis. The interrogation revealed that (a) sustainable development is characterized as a problem of corporate transparency, and (b) …

Accounting For The Gift: Theology And Ethics In Accounting, Daniel Sebastian

Religious Studies Theses and Dissertations

Accounting is often assumed to be a neutral presentation of the facts of economic activities and actions. Its double-entry system means that it is always in balance and comports to the rigor of mathematical formulas, and it is taken to be a matter of empirical counting that lends it certainty as well. The dissertation argues that this description of accounting is inadequate. Accounting is better seen as a political tool and technology for producing trust that can help resolve social conflicts. As such, accounting is not value-neutral but carries within it a particular sociality that has moral implications. These moral …

Interviews In Global Catholic Studies: Richard Wood, Mathew N. Schmalz, Richard Wood

Journal of Global Catholicism

No abstract provided.

Building Partnerships To Address Social And Technological Challenges To Enhance Farm Profitability And Improve Water Quality Through Better Grassland Management, C. C. Stafford, R. A. Clark, L. Ritchie, J. Dudding, G. Pent, J. Fike, J. Benner, C. Swanson, S. Baker, T. Mize, V. Temu, K. Payne, D. Gill, D. Mullins, R. Mcguire, C. Teutsch, W. Thomason, A. Grev, P. Blevins, T. P. Clarke, M. Poore, M. Booher, T. Stanley, G. Halich, J. Bovay, S. Jones, K. Love, A. Hilliard, A. Byington, E. Mullins, L. Haugen

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

With 2.1 million acres of pastureland and 1.25 million acres of hay land in Virginia, the rural Virginia landscape is predominately grassland. These lands form the base of the $3.96 billion-dollar livestock and dairy industry in Virginia. Managing these livestock in a profitable manner for farmers and beneficial to the environment is important. A cultural tradition with roots in colonial times has been to run animals in large fields year-round throughout Virginia. Livestock often graze from spring until fall (about 220 days), and farmers feed hay the remainder of the year. Spikes in the cost of fuel, fertilizer, and equipment …

Qualitative Study Of Public Policy Affecting Public University Students: How Positive Psychology May Lessen Racism, Russell F. Peck

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Racism, racial inequity, and racial violence, including micro-aggressions (slurs and fearful glances) are endemic in modern American society. Finding ways to eliminate or at least mitigate racism and racial violence is important, not only for public safety but also to ensure equality, fairness, and social harmony among every stratum of American society. The purpose of this study was to determine if teaching positive psychology in Boston, Massachusetts (MA)-area university college classrooms helped improve race relations. The primary research question involved determining factors that create racism and racial violence in society. The second research question was about if an education policy …

The Portrayals Of Trans Athlete Accomplishments In Newspapers, Sierra L. Davidson

Honors College Theses

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between events related to trans athletes and their portrayal in the media. This research project focuses on the accomplishment of one trans athlete, Lia Thomas, winning a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division 1 swimming championship in 2022. Articles from three newspapers of differing biases: The Washington Post, USA Today, and Washington Examiner, and one local newspaper of Thomas’ competing state, Philadelphia Daily News, were used in this analysis. Emerging themes were identified and codes were developed. These recurring themes and codes revealed differences in how newspapers reported on this …

All The Animals: Short Fiction About Multispecies Families, Becky Tipper

Animal Studies Journal

The five-part short story ‘All the Animals’ imagines an array of animals who feature in the life of a fictional human family over many years. The story is inspired by qualitative research into human-animal relationships in families with children in Lisbon, Portugal. ‘All the Animals’ aims to offer a fictional ‘thick description’ of multispecies families in a particular time and place, but also to provide a reflection on the role of storytelling in human-animal entanglements.

Differences In Death And Dying Anxiety Among Undergraduate Freshmen And Seniors, Greyson A. Owens

Honors College Theses

This research will observe the differences in death anxiety among undergraduate university freshmen and seniors. This study was conducted using a quantitative survey instrument. The Collett-Lester death anxiety scale was used to survey students. The instrument consists of thirty-two Likert scale questions that focused on anxiety levels of death and dying for the respondents and when thinking of others. I asked professors to post a recruitment flyer that I emailed to them on their Folio page, and I also posted these flyers in common areas on the Georgia Southern Campus. Data from freshmen and seniors were collected and analyzed. I …

Examination Of Urinary Pesticide Concentrations, Protective Behaviors, And Risk Perceptions Among Latino And Latina Farmworkers In Southwestern Idaho, Carly Hyland, Alejandra Hernandez, Éric Gaudreau, Jessica Larose, Jean-François Bienvenu, Lisa Meierotto, Rebecca L. Som Castellano, Cynthia L. Curl

Public Health and Population Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Introduction: Studies have documented high levels of pesticide exposure among men farmworkers; however, few have examined exposures or the experiences of women farmworkers. Data gaps also exist regarding farmworkers’ perceived risk and control related to pesticides, information that is critical to develop protective interventions.

Objective: We aimed to compare urinary pesticide biomarker concentrations between Latino and Latina farmworkers and examine associations with occupational characteristics, risk perceptions, perceived control, and protective behaviors.

Methods: We enrolled a convenience sample of 62 farmworkers (30 men and 32 women) during the pesticide spray season from April–July 2022 in southwestern Idaho. Participants were asked to …

The Midwest Feminist Papers: A Facsimile Edition 1980–1997. Part I (1980–1983), Mary Jo Deegan, Michael R. Hill

Zea E-Books Collection

Mary Jo Deegan and Michael R. Hill, compilers. The Midwest Feminist Papers: A Facsimile Edition 1980–1997, with prefaces and author indices by Mary Jo Deegan and Michael R. Hill. 3 volumes: Part I (1980–1983)

The Midwest Feminist Papers was a creative, group-generated initiative that gave voice to the scholarly questions, research interests, and social concerns of a growing cohort of Midwestern feminist sociology graduate students and their feminist faculty mentors during the last quarter of the Twentieth Century. They were active members of Midwest Sociologists for Women in Society, a regional expression of the larger national Sociologists for Women …

Microeconomic Social And Resource Barriers To Music Education Expansion In Impoverished South Carolina Areas, Anna Susanne Holley

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Despite much information in outreach in impoverished areas, research has yet to fully show the barriers to music education expansion in poverty-level South Carolina. This qualitative study is conducted using previous data for correlation through research analysis of social attitudes and resource-based barriers to participation rates and expansion of music education throughout South Carolina. Research discovered that impoverished students are much less likely to participate in music education and less than 25% of United States seniors, whether public or privately educated, are actively participating in music education programs. Lastly, statistics shows less than half of students with access to music …

Understanding The Impact Of Pedagogical Changes In An Honors Activism Course: A Case Study, Aaron Peeksmease

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

The purpose of this portfolio is to document learning outcomes after initiating three pedagogical changes in an Honors Sociology of Activism course taught at UNL in both the Fall of 2022 and Fall of 2023. The first change was to provide students with prior student work of an assignment to see if student performance on the assignment improved. Findings indicated that providing examples of previous student work did not raise grades on the overall assignment, but did result in stronger projects for that one aspect of the overall assignment. The second change examined the impact of introducing reading quizzes and …

The Metazine Example Zine, Kate Tuley

SOCI 258: Gender Race and Poverty

This was created in Google Slides as an example of a zine which also provides background for zines in general, page examples from published zines, documentation for creating and including citations and bibliography, and links to further resources.

Sociology Final Project/Presentation, Allyssa Baumbach

AI Assignment Library

This assignment requires students to demonstrate their learning through a presentation of a sociological topic to a lay audience. The presentation development process involves use of AI as a brainstorming and organization tool. Students critically analyze and evaluate the quality and accuracy of the AI-generated material and make adjustments to the output as appropriate for their topic and goals for presenting.

Postgraduate Students’ Attitudes Towards The Social And Economic Factors Affecting The Emergence Of Anomie, K. M. Al-Tkhayneh, Z. K. Ellala, N. R. Alsalhi, H. S. Al-Srehan

Journal of Statistics Applications & Probability

This study aimed at identifying the attitudes of postgraduate students in Jordanian universities towards the social factors affecting the emergence of anomie in Jordanian society. The method used was a descriptive analytical approach. The study sample consisted of 273 postgraduate students in five public Jordanian universities enrolled in the second semester of the academic year (2018/ 2019) for the degrees of higher diploma, master’s degree, and doctorate. The study sample was selected using the simple random way. The study used a questionnaire which consisted of (24) items that represent the social dimension affecting the emergence of anomie in Jordanian society. …

Homesteading In Maine: Motivations And Current Trends, Alexandrea Merchant

Master's Theses and Capstones

People in the United States who practice the alternative lifestyle of “homesteading” seek to live self-sufficient lives by growing food, building dwellings, and living with resolute autonomy. Great variation exists in the degree of self-sufficiency attained and desired by individuals engaged in homesteading. It was the purpose of this study to illuminate the motivations underlying adopting and engagement in this lifestyle in Maine homesteaders. Through interviews with 10 homesteaders in Maine and participant observation, I documented the narratives and elucidated the motivations of this under researched group. Common themes emerged. Participants expressed concerns about personal health, the environment, and institutions. …

Exploring Gender Stereotypes In Application: Is Maternal Warmth A Bonus Or A Penalty For Women?, Rongchen (Kerry) Wang '25

Student Scholarship

How does previous work experience connoting motherly warmth and nurturing impact evaluations of women as job applicants? Professional women are penalized for being mothers but benefit from following traditional gender scripts, which expect women to be warm, caring, and service-oriented. While there are overlaps in traits between being a mother and being a woman, the influence of motherly-warm traits on application results is unclear. To tackle this question, I conducted a survey experiment (N = 244) using a task in which each participant is asked to evaluate the resume of a prospective job applicant with or without job experiences conveying …

Building Decision Tools For Sustainable Grassland Management: A Case Study Of Participatory Research In La Réunion, Sophie Gerbaud, Vincent Blanfort, P. Thomas, Ph. Lecomte, J. P. Choisis

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

During the last 30 years, cattle breeding has developed in La Reunion Island (France, Indian Ocean) with strong support from local authorities and extension structures. The Union des Associations Foncières Pastorales (UAFP) initiated and still sustain a large effort on grassland improvement. During the same period, CIRAD managed different research programmes on agronomic aspects of pasture management). Scarcity of space, the volcanic soil and tropical climatic conditions contributed to repeated forage shortages during the dry season, making forage production a major issue for cattle breeders. In 1991, CIRAD launched a research programme to elaborate decision tools for assessing and improving …

Understanding Arguments To Protect Farmland In Idaho: Innovative Solutions And Community Insights To Drive Policy Change, Sarah Halperin, Jen Schneider, Rebecca L. Som Castellano, Jodi Brandt

Human-Environment Systems Research Center Faculty Publications and Presentations

Between Spring 2022 and Spring 2023, a team of researchers at Boise State University conducted interviews with people involved in farmland protection efforts. Our goal was to understand how interviewees frame the issue of farmland loss. Frames can draw attention to an issue, contextualize decision-making, and influence the policy solutions considered. Through a frame analysis, we gained a clearer understanding of potential approaches for farmland protection in Idaho.

We conducted 10 semi-structured interviews with individuals representing government agencies, academic institutions, land trusts, non-profit organizations, and farmers. After conducting the interviews, we analyzed the transcripts in a systematic manner to identify …

The Innovation Plague: Is Technology Taking Over?, Colin Holdeman

Sociology Student Work Collection

Is technology in fact taking control of us as a society, and if so, how?