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Illinois State University Graduate Course Catalog, 2023-2024, Illinois State University

Course Catalogs

Illinois State University Graduate Course Catalog, 2023-2024. Effective May 22, 2023.

Equalizing Postsecondary Transition For At-Promise Youth Receiving Special Education Services: A Chance To Succeed, Karla R. Sanchez

Dissertations

Postsecondary transition can be difficult for At-Promise Youth Receiving Special Education Services (APYRSES). Special educators supporting postsecondary transition often manifest traditional and institutionalized forms of oppressive education while dismissing collective values and beliefs.

This qualitative case study examined the beliefs and attitudes shared by three special education teachers after being introduced to a justice-focused, humanizing intervention to facilitate postsecondary transition for APYRSES. The conceptualized intervention was grounded in liberatory educational frameworks and drew from critical, culturally affirming, sustaining, and humanizing theories that foster cultural reciprocity, self-determination skills, and antiracist social–emotional justice learning to afford opportunities for APYRSES to succeed. The …

Using Expressive Arts Therapy To Develop Coping Mechanisms To Manage Substance Use, Zayna Mcdonald

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This paper examines past and current usages of expressive arts therapy in developing coping mechanisms for substance use recovery and explores possibilities for further integration in the adolescent and young adult population around the world. Abundant information is available on the effects of drugs and other substances on mental health, but more research is needed on how the integration of expressive arts therapy can enhance substance abuse programs for these populations. According to the CDC, elevated adverse effects on mental health occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic in the US with young adults reporting increased substance use (Czeisler et al., 2020). …

Utilizing New Technologies To Measure Therapy Effectiveness For Mental And Physical Health, Jonathan Ossie

Dissertations

Mental health is quickly becoming a major policy concern, with recent data reporting increasing and disproportionately worse mental health outcomes, including anxiety, depression, increased substance abuse, and elevated suicidal ideation. One specific population that is especially high risk for these issues is the military community because military conflict, deployment stressors, and combat exposure contribute to the risk of mental health problems.

Although several pharmacological approaches have been employed to combat this epidemic, their efficacy is mixed at best, which has led to novel nonpharmacological approaches. One such approach is Operation Surf, a nonprofit that provides nature-based programs advocating the restorative …

A New Pipeline: Building A Transformative Leadership Pipeline For Formerly Incarcerated Individuals, Jackie Aguilar

Master's Projects and Capstones

While developing leadership roles for employers is critical to running an effective organization, building a bridge for those who have directly lived experiences regarding its mission is critical. Bringing back community members you have served to your organization is highly recommended and essential. This capstone research report will focus on building a leadership pipeline for formerly incarcerated individuals within the nonprofit sector. Returning community members can often be tokenized and are never given the tools and resources to develop as a leader. This report will outline the barriers formerly incarcerated individuals face while providing a foundation on the importance of …

Perceptions And Impacts Of Unpaid Internships Within Expressive Therapies Education: A Literature Review, Sophie Mcconkie

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Internships are an essential part of expressive therapies education as they prepare students with the necessary skills for clinical work. In the current model, it has been normalized for internships to be unpaid despite a lack of documented rationale behind this practice. This review uses the available literature on internships to question and critically analyze unpaid internships in expressive therapies education. In recent years, increased criticism has been expressed about the practice of unpaid internships across many industries. Research has shown that students with more connection to social, cultural, and financial capital are favored for internships, creating inequitable access. Those …

The Connection Between Colorism And White Supremacy: Colorism As A Tool Of White Supremacy In The Contemporary Age In The United States And Puerto Rico, Taylor Nicole Bell

Senior Theses

As the world moves into a perceived post-racial era, it is important to acknowledge and understand the existing presence and strength of white supremacy. While outright expressions of racism become less acceptable, people of color continue to face discrimination in multiple facets of their lives. One way to preserve and strengthen white supremacy in the modern age is through color-based discrimination or colorism. Across the globe, people of a lighter complexion, or those in closer proximity to whiteness, experience privileges and better treatment than those of a darker complexion. My thesis aims to argue that colorism in the modern age …

The Influence Of Prison Skills Programming On The Reentry Process, Jennifer Tatten

Educational Studies Dissertations

Prison skills programming that is focused on employment readiness, reentry skills, parenting and family relationships, life skills, and anger management is offered with an understanding that the information will support individuals with reentry in areas such as family reintegration and employment. The purpose of this mixed-methods dissertation study was to explore the reasons that individuals chose to participate in skills programming during incarceration and their perceptions about the ways in which skills programming influenced their experiences with family and employment during reentry. Data were collected from diverse participants using a Reentry Experiences Survey (RES) (Appendix A), in-depth interviews, and archival …

Social Creatures: The Impact Of Solitary Confinement On Psychophysiological Health And How Inmates Percieve Their Humanity And Social Well-Being, Julia Austin

Honors Projects

This paper will define and examine the use of solitary confinement within the United States prison system and review its mental, physical, and social impacts. As social creatures, human mental and physical well-being depends on meaningful social interactions absent in segregation units. As it currently stands, vulnerable populations, including racial minorities, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and those with developmental disabilities or psychological disorders, are at risk of irrevocable harm and abuse within these facilities from staff as well as other inmates. With a rotating 80,000 inmates held in solitary confinement every day, the current structure of the prison system deemphasizes rehabilitation and …

Community Gatekeepers: Power, Pitfalls And Possibilities When Recruiting And Researching Black, Asian, And Minority Ethnic (Bame) Participants, Nadia K. Bashir

The Qualitative Report

Using data from a large primarily qualitative research project on how people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities experience and access health services, this methodological article focuses on the role of the community gatekeeper – a role that has significance for research teams globally when attempting to involve those facing multiple forms of exclusion. Drawing on standpoint feminist principles and using a reflexive approach, researcher positionality, situated knowledges, and the power dynamics between researchers, participants, and community gatekeepers are reflected upon. Addressing a gap in the literature by providing real-life examples of the power and influence of gatekeepers …

Making Bad Decisions With Toxic Emissions: Exploring The Prosecution Of Companies For Superfund Crimes, Dr. Melissa Jarrell Ozymy, Dr. Joshua Ozymy

Washington Journal of Social & Environmental Justice

Marginalized communities in the United States bear the brunt of toxic pollution from Superfund sites. Criminal provisions in the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), also known as Superfund, allow prosecutors to seek penalties for environmental crimes involving significant harm and/or culpable conduct, but we know little about how companies have been prosecuted for Superfund crimes. We utilize content analysis of 2,728 environmental crime prosecutions stemming from U.S. EPA criminal investigations from 1983-2021, and select cases of companies prosecuted for Superfund crimes. We found that across 41 prosecutions, 126 defendants were prosecuted, resulting in 68 years of probation …

Los Angeles Homeless Encampments: East Of Mainstreet, Desarey Castellanos

Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science

Homelessness can impact a person’s ability to navigate public spaces, find employment, meet basic subsistence, and have access to essential social services. Instead, the long-term consequences of homelessness have been focused of the criminalization of unhoused people. This fieldwork analyzes the daily obstacles that individuals face east of main street in downtown Los Angeles. Although wide variation exists from different locations many challenges stemming from mental illness, substance use disorder, and ostracization from mainstream society make these circumstances increasingly difficult to navigate. All these factors are influenced by the policy environments that continuously impact these targeted populations. I will present …

Effect Of Child Abuse On Eating Disorders And Suicidal Behaviors, Hannah Lyons

Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science

The broad range of psychological disorders and correlations with childhood upbringing has resulted in the creation of a complex connection between mental illness in adults as a result of childhood trauma. My research findings indicate that child abuse experienced during youth often leads to higher susceptibility to eating disorders in adulthood. Further, the research reflects that the type of child abuse experienced, influenced the type of eating disorder developed later in life. By researching the relationship of child abuse and eating disorders, it becomes evident that suicidal behaviors are also increased due to childhood experiences with abuse as well as …

Rights That Are Not Guaranteed: Failures Of Government Policy On Homelessness, Jeffrey Kaspraw

Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science

Since the 1980s, the rising number of homeless people has caused the problem to become a significant political issue. Politicians have made promises in their campaigns to solve the emergency every election cycle. Most of these campaign promises never come to fruition, and we see a continuing rise in homelessness. This paper examines the political context of housing insecurity to argue that housing is a human right, and that homelessness is a failed policy decision. Homelessness comes in four different forms that all require individual attention. The current policies aimed to address homelessness cannot be one size fits all. While …

Blood’S Evidentiary Value Based On Its Biological And Physical Properties, Samantha Boman

Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science

Prior to 1955, bloodstain evidence was considered to be unreliable and therefore inadmissible in a court of law. Today, DNA profiles can be derived from leukocytes, which comprise less than 1% of our total blood volume. Aside from genetic profiles, the biological and physical properties of blood can reveal a great deal to investigators. The first landmark case to utilize blood’s class characteristics reliably was in the State of Ohio vs. Samuel Sheppard. This paper explains how viscosity, surface tension, flow, velocity, and Newtonian laws of motion can be used to determine: the relative locations of victims and offenders, handedness …

The Crisis Of Femicides In Mexico, Alejandra Vela

Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science

Femicides are a growing issue in Mexico. These murders are intertwined with the incompetence of authorities, poverty, corruption, and organized crime. Authorities tend to blame victims by not taking missing reports seriously, nor do they conduct searches in these urgent situations. Authorities do not have DNA databases, space in morgues, and have little forensic science training. Ways of identifying remains involve odontology, bitemarks, and saliva. These provide a means of identifying through individual characteristics and DNA. Evidence is usually mishandled and not tested, or purposely lost to stop the investigation, thus, involving corruption. Criminal organizations, known as cartels, bribe authorities …

The Effects Of Marital Rape On A Woman’S Mental Health, Brisa Victorio

Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science

Marital rape has been a topic that does not receive the awareness it needs. About 14% of married women experience marital rape in the United States, and of that fourteen percent, 77% of those cases go unreported. Women experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, higher levels of anger, fear, and guilt, and begin to hate their bodies, therefore causing their self-esteem to drop. Despite the argument that women who are raped by their husbands suffer less because they have already consented to having sexual relations, it is the opposite. Marital rape victims suffer more severe psychological consequences and for a …

The Student-Athlete Dilemma: The Hidden Truth, Andrew Jenkins

Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science

This paper presents an in-depth analysis of student-athletes' challenges transitioning to college life. The findings indicate that many student-athletes struggle with adapting to the academic demands, navigating the social landscape, and maintaining a healthy work-life balance. To address these issues, this paper recommends that universities implement comprehensive orientation programs that provide students with the necessary tools, resources, and support to succeed. Additionally, universities should offer targeted interventions such as mentoring, tutoring, and counseling to students who may be at risk of falling behind academically or experiencing mental health concerns. By taking a proactive approach, universities can ensure that students have …

Desde El Suelo: Resources For Anti Colonial And Abolitionist Educators In Puerto Rico, Jazdil Poupart-Feliciano

Master's Projects and Capstones

“Desde el Suelo” is a set of resources, activities and reflections created for educators looking to name, understand and heal from the systemic harms experienced in our schooling in order to interrupt these cycles and better support children, youth and ourselves in our liberation. For Puerto Rican educators, this process begins with the understanding that any system created with the goal of expanding the u.s. empire through racist occupation and epistemicide can never be reformed into promoting freedom or social justice. Pulling from abolitionist teaching and critical pedagogy, inspired by historical struggles for Black liberation across the diaspora and in …

Beyond Carceral "Solutions": Using Transformative Human Rights Education In Domestic Violence Prevention, Alli E. Rios

Master's Projects and Capstones

Domestic violence is a choice a person makes to gain and exert absolute power and control over another person. Unfortunately, the predominant structure for addressing domestic violence - the criminal justice system - is rife with problematic social and structural constructs, like patriarchy, white supremacy, and neoliberalism, which are themselves rooted in issues of power and control (Acheson, 2022). The influence of these factors, which are largely defined by exploitative hierarchies, helps to explain why domestic violence remains prevalent. To more effectively address and prevent domestic violence, research suggests that comprehensive policy and curricular reform are necessary on multiple levels …

Class Of 2023 Awards Ceremony, Notre Dame Law School

Commencement Programs

On Friday, May 19, Notre Dame Law School recognized its graduating students at the annual Awards Ceremony. Awards were presented for academic achievement, including Honor Roll, Dean’s Circle, Faculty Excellence, and Program of Study distinctions, as well as for excellence in writing, trial advocacy, and moot court. Students were also celebrated for their service to Notre Dame, their classmates, and the broader community. Below, we highlight a selection of this year’s awards and recipients.

Criminal Injustice: An Examination Of Racial Profiling And Discriminatory Police Practices In Canada And The United States, Patricia Advincula

Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science

The Black Lives Matter movement swept across the United States after the murders of black people at the hands of law enforcement. Not fully acknowledged in the media are the police brutality cases that have also occurred in Canada, a country that prides itself on tolerance, acceptance, and diversity. Police brutality is an unfortunate reality that stems from racial profiling, one of the many symptoms of historically oppressive institutions. In this paper, I will examine police coercion and racial profiling in Canada and the United States. This paper will employ a theoretical framework of conflict theory and minority threat hypothesis …

Caring For Rural Hispanic/Latinx Foster Youth: Cultural Competency And Providers Of Foster Youth Mental Health Services, Vidal Salgado Gonzalez

Master's Projects and Capstones

Hispanic/Latinx cultural competency is desperately needed in our child welfare system. Hispanic/Latinx is the largest population in the California foster care system, 48.6% of California’s total foster care population (Population Reference Bureau 2021). There is a lack of cultural competency in the workforce available to address their specific mental health needs. A particular need and opportunity for improvement in the foster care system would be a commitment by public providers to make cultural competency a foundational workforce requirement. In this capstone thesis paper, I have investigated how public providers can recruit and retain a diverse and culturally competent workforce and …

School Of Law Commencement Exercises Program 2023, Roger Williams University School Of Law

School of Law Commencement (1996- )

No abstract provided.

2023 Roger Williams University School Of Law Commencement, Roger Williams University School Of Law

School of Law Commencement (1996- )

No abstract provided.

Restorative Justice: How Adult Practitioners Navigate Contested Learning Environments, Andrés Castañeda

Master's Theses

Restorative justice principles and practices have gained significant traction among educators in recent years, as they endeavor to establish school cultures that prioritize safety, student belonging, and humanizing relationships. However, existing literature indicates that schools who implement restorative justice frameworks tend to be obstructed by the historically punitive logics that govern them. As schools have become institutions that are highly racialized and influenced by neoliberal policies, it is important to continue to identify factors that can impede the work of racial equity and social justice within the schooling system. The purpose of this thesis is to conduct a qualitative study …

Undocumented Latinos In California: The Safety Under Ab 60 And Vulnerability Under Real Id, Ricardo Velazquez

Master's Theses

This qualitative research study focuses on the safety under AB 60 driver’s licenses and how the Real ID affects the daily lives of Latino undocumented California residents. The purpose of this project is to further understand the implementation of the second provision of the Real ID Act of 2005 which issues marked identifications and driver's licenses that are federal compliant and understand how it will affect Latino undocumented California residents. The focus of this study through the literature review and the Testimonios is on the experiences of Latino undocumented immigrants living in California, and is viewed through a Latino Critical …

Stakeholder Engagement In Urban Public Transportation Agencies In The United States, Tyler Joseph Wolfe

Dissertations and Theses

Major urban public transportation agencies in the United States are often under pressure to engage stakeholders in order to improve both the legitimacy and effectiveness of their transit systems. Based on qualitative methods of directed content analysis, this dissertation answers three related questions: (I) How do internal organizational qualities affect stakeholder engagement? (II) How do external socioeconomic factors affect stakeholder engagement? and (III) Does stakeholder engagement lead to better performance? Using a most similar comparative case study design, this research studies stakeholder engagement in five major urban public transportation agencies (Denver, Oklahoma City, Seattle, Portland, and Memphis). It demonstrates the …

Stigma Of Incarceration And Motivation Of Undergraduate Students For Service-Learning, Kapil Sharma

Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science

Incarceration can be a long-lasting, stigmatizing life event that significantly impacts one's life and limits ex-offenders in various aspects of their life. The impact of widespread criminal records can obstruct reentry, economic stability, and full participation in society, whether minor, major, old, or new. The study aims to explore the stigma attached to incarceration and the motivation of undergraduate students for Service-Learning. Based on responses from three semi-structured interviews with students interns of the Records Clearance Project of San Jose State University, it was evident that after completing their sentences, ex-offenders come into many barriers that may prevent them from …

The Perpetuation Of Racial Inequalities In The Criminal Justice System, Chloe Bessette

Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science

The criminal justice system is not necessarily just and is particularly unfair towards Black Americans. The research shows that they face discrimination in every step of the justice system, from initial arrest to sentencing. Many peer-reviewed sources were analyzed in order to compile the evidence that supports that claim, and what follows is a summation of that research. This paper succinctly proves, using facts, that discrimination and racism still run rampant in the American justice system. These facts include an over 50% higher chance of being killed during an arrest, five times as likely to be incarcerated, three times as …