Digital Commons Network^™

Lifecourse Of A Community Survey, Craig Tollini

Masters Theses

This paper seeks to uncover the factors that may have impacted how the officials of a medium sized, Midwestern city used the results of a survey of city residents, which had been conducted by the same university-based research center for sixteen years, in their budget and policy decision-making process. The researchers who directed the survey project and the officials who designed the survey and/or were in a position to use its results were interviewed, and various written materials related to the survey project, from memos between the city manager and the researcher to the final report the researcher provided to …

They're Getting Away With Murder: The Social Account Ability Of Collegiate Athletes, Justina Ixcia Phillips

Masters Theses

The purpose of this research is to study deviant behavior among collegiate student athletes. This study involves institutions in the Midwest region of the United States, particularly the Mid-American Conference (MAC). This study took on a sociological approach by interviewing specialized athletic officials, and examining different levels of social control by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), along with its interaction with the Mid-American Conference. Various variables that affect social control such as gender, race, and economic conditions were also examined to get an understanding of how these factors influence behavior.

The Social Construction Of Personal Protection Orders: Gendered Differences?, Kristen E. Devall

Masters Theses

Personal Protection Orders (PPOs) were enacted as one method of responding to the issue of domestic violence that was thought to be escalating in epidemic proportions across the United States. This research was grounded in social constructionist theory and sought to examine the perspectives of judges who authorize/deny PPOs and the implications these perspectives have for the legal process as well as the larger criminal justice system. Through my examination of the petitioning process, I gained insights about the relationships that exist between petitioners and respondents as well as the reasons petitioners cite for why s/he is seeking a PPO. …

Lincoln Savings And Loan Scandal: A Case Study Of State-Corporate Crime, Ronald B. Coleman

Masters Theses

This thesis elaborates on the nature and scale of state-corporate crime in the Lincoln Savings & Loan Scandal. It provides an account of a political history of the savings and loan industry, the effect of economic deregulation, and the Garn-St. Germain deregulation legislation in the 1980s, which produced the criminogenic (conducive to crime) environment in the savings and loan industry.

This case study supports the hypothesis that criminal behavior at the organizational level results from a coincidence of pressure for goal attainment, availability and perceived attractiveness of illegitimate means, and an absence of effective social control. Therefore, the Lincoln …

Tales Of Forbidden Love: A Sociological Analysis Of Interracial Intimacy, Candice L. Bryant

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study is to explore the constructions of race, marriage, and love insofar as these components promote the exclusion of interracial intimacy and marriage from the dominant discourse. The study focuses on the ways in which the social sciences have polarized "blacks" and "whites" (linguistically, socially, and economically) thus, making it difficult for persons living in black and white skin to experience social affirmation through literature, media, and agents in everyday life.

A qualitative content analysis of historical and contemporary literature regarding interracial marriage and intimacy were conducted in conjunction with an auto ethnography of the author's …

Culture Of Intimidation: Power Relationships, Quiescence, And Rebellion In Oak Ridge, Tennessee, Barry R. Durbin

Masters Theses

Studies suggest that quiescence, or the absence of challenge from deprived groups can be explained as a function of power relationships. Power has the potential to influence the decision-making process by monopolizing decision-making arenas. Furthermore, elites that occupy positions of power have the capability to resist challenges from deprived groups by preventing certain issues or grievances from ever being raised. This study’s focus is a former nuclear weapons production facility (the former K-25 Gaseous Diffusion Plant) in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, the quiescent nature of workers there, and the subsequent rise of rebellion. I employ a historical perspective using in-depth interviews …

The Outcomes Of Trauma For Older Adults, Shaun M. Mcmillan

Masters Theses

Previous sociological and public health studies were analyzed to determine the effects of age, gender, mechanism of injury (fall or motor vehicle crash accident), severity of the injury, length of stay and injuries sustained on three binary response variables of discharge disposition ( discharged home, expired, or transferred to a rehabilitation facility) of older adult trauma patients. Three multiple logistic regression models were analyzed to handle the multiple predictors for the three binary response variables of discharge disposition. Over one-half (56%) of respondents were discharged home, whereas one in four patients were transferred to a rehabilitative facility, while the remaining …

Women Hunters And Modernity: A Nietzschean Analysis, Deborah S. Wilson

Masters Theses

Patriarchy and false consciousness are two concepts that scholars use to explain why women hunt. I attempt to understand this activity through a perspective that focuses on experience and meaning. Based on interviews with women who hunt, I contend that their accounts correspond with Nietzsche's characterization of Greek tragedy, reflecting a conscious opposition to certain aspects of modernity.

General Motors And Toyota: Comparison Of American And Japanese Managerial Cultures, Seiko Yomogita

Masters Theses

In the automobile industry, American culture and Japanese culture impact each other to support economic growth in both countries as one part of globalization. In American companies, religious factors, individualism, and American immigrant history manifest as characteristics of American management styles. In contrast, in Japanese companies, Asian community-based ideology, household concepts, and family kinship manifest as characteristics of Japanese management styles. These differences appear in the relationships between employees and employers, job security, quality control of products, responsibilities of line workers, loyalty of all employees to the company, impact of wearing uniforms, functions of unions, and minority managements.

My thesis …

“Drop And Give Me Twenty!”: The Social Production Of A Marine, Martha E. Frohlich

Masters Theses

This study is an attempt to understand the transformation of an individual that takes place during Marine Corps basic training. Primarily, it is an inquiry into how United States Marines talk about how they became Marines.

To assist in this inquiry, I turn to the field of military sociology, general role socialization literature and the notion of social identity. I conclude that while themes do emerge in the transformation of individual to Marine, it is still quite a personal experience -- one that could only be understood by positioning myself close to the experience via those who have lived it. …

The Relationship Between Sex Role Stereotypes, Domestic Violence Training, History Of Law Enforcement Involvement, And Law Enforcement Officer's Perceptions Of A Domestic Violence Incident, Kristen M. Schuch

Masters Theses

This study examined how police officers perceptions of a domestic violence situation are influenced by sex role stereotypes, domestic violence training and history of police intervention. Participants were police officers employed in sheriff's departments or city police departments. Officers received several surveys and a vignette describing a domestic violence scene. Officers were given one of two vignettes, one describing a situation in which there have been previous calls to the address and one in which this is the first call and were then asked several questions to assess their perceptions. Sex role stereotypes were assessed using the Sex Role Egalitarianism …