Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Exploring The Realities Of Queer/Trans, Black, Indigenous, And/Or People Of Color Students At Humboldt State University, Kat Hồng Nguyễn

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

In this thesis, I use participant interviews with 12 queer student activists at Humboldt State University (now Cal Poly Humboldt) and participant observation from 2019-2021 to provide a qualitative analysis of Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (QTBIPOC) student knowledge. While student activism is not a primary site of analysis in this paper, all of the participants of this study identify as student activists which has implications on their overall experience. Participants in this study note the institutional efforts to disrupt institutional memory between student leaders and activists. This study was specifically designed to combat this issue by …

Adoption Of Holistic Education Practices: A Survey Of California K-12 Educator Experiences, Arianne M. Nova

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

In a rapidly evolving educational landscape, the federal government must explicitly consider holistic approaches to education as essential for the well-being and future of students in public schools. Holistic education, which extends beyond traditional academics to nurture the 'whole child,' has garnered substantial support in the literature for its positive impact on academic performance, behavior, and student well-being. This research explores educator perspectives on holistic education in a K-12 California school district. By surveying teachers, counselors, school social workers, and principals within this district, I assess their awareness concerning structural levels, available resources, and implementation capabilities related to holistic education. …

"They Are Expecting Us To Stay Strong": How Ambulance Personnel Navigate And Manage Their Emotions In A Rural Region Of Northern California, Tina M. Orton-Owens

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This research examines how emergency medical service (EMS) workers navigate and manage their calls in Humboldt County, a rural region of Northern California. The primary theoretical framework is drawn from Arlie Hochschild’s theory of Emotional Labor. This paper examines how emotional labor impacts EMS workers within a rural environment and with limited resources. I also look at how COVID-19 complicated EMS workers’ experiences. This paper is based on qualitative research where I conducted 13 mostly face-to-face interviews with EMS workers throughout the County between 2020 and 2022. Interviews consisted of 30 questions and interviews ranged in length from 1 to …

Perceptions Of Trail Safety In Humboldt County, California: An Analysis Of Safety Concerns, Factors That Impact Trail Use, And The Value People Place On Trails, Natalie C. Arroyo

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Trails in Humboldt County, California that are used for both transportation and recreation have myriad community benefits. However, people’s concerns about feeling safe can affect trail use, design, and development, as well as how trails are valued and perceived by residents. There has been a lack of information in Humboldt County about trail safety perceptions despite it being a factor that repeatedly arises in infrastructure planning and funding conversations. My research was focused on answering the following questions: (1) How do Humboldt County trail users perceive their safety on and near trails? (2) What factors affect these perceptions about safety, …

A Picture Worth A Thousand Words: Factors Influencing Disability Accommodations, Alicia E. Martin

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Because not all disabilities look the same it is difficult to label a person with disabilities just by looking at them. Given that our knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions impact how we interpret our world and our willingness to act, people, including professors, may be biased toward providing accommodations for those with easily recognizable disabilities and biased against those with non-recognizable disabilities, and this may impact the disabled person’s ability to learn. This thesis aims to address whether professors’ disability-related attitudes, perceptions of accommodation reasonableness, and willingness to provide accommodations differ when the disability is recognizable (student is pictured in a …

Investigating Tribal Co-Management Of Caifornia’S Public Lands, Zachary Joseph Erickson

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Collaborative management with Indigenous groups is becoming increasingly common as many Indigenous communities continue to assert their inherent rights to self-determination. Due to the removal from and dispossession of lands, tribes often rely on access to public properties for various uses including ceremonies and gathering of culturally important plants. Some believe that the absence of indigenous involvement has also led to a decline in both the quality and abundance of culturally important resources, as well as limited the intergenerational transfer of traditional ecological knowledge, or TEK. There is increasing momentum toward re-engaging tribes as stewards of their ancestral lands through …

A Black Prometheus Among The Gods: Illuminating African American Literary Tradition In Sam Greenlee's The Spook Who Sat By The Door, Kenneth L. Rainey Iii

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

In his hard-hitting novel The Spook Who Sat by the Door Sam Greenlee aims to help his target African American audience to succeed and thrive as their true selves with the novel functioning as a guide to resisting the ever-present physical and spiritual threat faced daily. On the one hand the novel functions as a manual for civil uprising, but underneath that surface, Greenlee argues that true African American resistance comes through nurturing self-determination, self-love, and self-esteem. This project also argues that Spook ought to be located closer to the center of the African American literary canon and provides comparisons …

Indigenous Women In Active Drug Abuse Recovery: An Analysis Of Native And Non-Native Programs, Raquel J. Muñoz

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

In general, much has been written on the experiences of prototypical women in drug recovery programs, however there is only a scarcity of research on the experiences of rural women of color in drug recovery programs. Very few Northern American cultures had experience with alcohol before the first wave of European settlers. Responses to intergenerational trauma faced by Native women include substance abuse, depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, suicidal thinking, and more. Due to socioeconomic disadvantages drug and alcohol abuse tends to be a coping mechanism for many Native American women. Drawing on the narratives of ten Indigenous women who are …

"Think Of The Children!": Understanding Parental And Community Opposition To Critical Race Theory, Daniela S. Tierra

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Critical Race Theory (CRT) in schools has become a controversial topic nationwide, leading to widespread and alarming bans on the teaching of CRT. CRT has been accused of shaming white children, creating racial division, and creating a “victim mentality” amongst people of color. The CRT utilized in critical legal studies, ethnic studies, and sociology looks drastically different from what opponents claimed. So, what exactly is CRT - more importantly, what do opponents of CRT believe it to be, and why are they opposed to it? This thesis builds on the sociological field of critical whiteness to examine the academic origin …

The Socio-Political History Of Cannabis In Costa Rica, Winston C. Grady

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The socio-political history of cannabis in Costa Rica is one of external global influence; from colonization to independence; from neocolonialism to neoliberalism. Cannabis in Costa Rica has gone from failed agricultural crop to non-indigenous intoxicant import to controversial cultural mainstay. As Mexico influenced cannabis prohibition in the United States, so too has the U.S. approach to cannabis prohibition influenced Costa Rica. Costa Rica now grapples with attempting to reorient its general anti-cannabis status quo to one of regulated marketplace acceptance. My research findings indicate that cannabis originally entered Costa Rica in the late 19^th century by way of imported …

“There's Always People In The Room For Whom This Is Not Merely Theory”: Emergent Pedagogies, Casey Mccullough

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Colleges and universities are generally regarded as a place for students to expand their skill sets and knowledge in preparation for specific fields of work. Many academic institutions and disciplines are also focused on recruiting and retaining students from socially marginalized communities in the name of equity, inclusion, and diversity. Despite this, some institutions in practice prioritize image, status, and wealth while deprioritizing resources, care, and support for students and their learning conditions. Often within these institutions are educators who challenge these systems in their courses, on campus, and across the country, encouraging and empowering students to directly confront those …

I’M Not A Tragedy: Speaking Up About Ableist Microaggressions, Kasandra Marguerite Colwell

Communication Senior Capstones

Have you heard of ableist microaggressions? Let me tell you about them, as someone who has experienced them. I have a bi-lateral dislocating knee condition that I was born with. I can walk, but sometimes I need additional stability or reduction of pain while getting around, in which case I tend to use a cane. I have had many othering interactions while using a mobility aid in public, whether that be a knee brace, a cane, or crutches. While it often seemed the stranger didn’t mean any harm, the question is how many invasive questions and comments from strangers can …

Resource Access And Equity In Humboldt County (How Social Myth Becomes Social Fact), Colton J. Hubbard

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Rural areas of Northern California have gone without health and social services for decades. The shortcomings of local services have given rise to the idea that there are no services in these rural and isolated communities. Conditions and beliefs have brought up two important questions. The first question is how can access and knowledge of available services be improved in rural areas? The second question is, through what mechanisms do communities develop their facts?

To address the previous questions, I worked with the primary health and social service provider in Humboldt County, CA. We developed a database of local services …

Johnson V. M'Intosh: Christianity, Genocide, And The Dispossession Of Indigenous Peoples, Cynthia J. Boshell

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Using hermeneutical methodology, this paper examines some of the legal fictions that form the foundation of Federal Indian Law. The text of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1823 Johnson v. M’Intosh opinion is evaluated through the lens of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide to determine the extent to which the Supreme Court incorporated genocidal principles into United States common law. The genealogy of M’Intosh is examined to identify influences that are not fully apparent on the face of the case. International jurisprudential interpretations of the legal definition of genocide are summarized and used as …

A Discourse Analysis On The Importance Of Outdoor Recreation For Latinx First-Generation College Students Attending California Polytechnic Humboldt, Juan Anzada

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Historically, marginalized groups, including people of color and those from low socioeconomic populations, have been at a disadvantage in accessing outdoor recreation on public lands. This project explores whether this phenomenon is mirrored in undergraduate student populations, specifically within Latinx first-generation college students. This project had a sample size of twenty undergraduate students who identified as first-generation Latinx students attending Cal Poly Humboldt. Utilizing a semi-structured interview, participants were presented with survey questions which were intended to elicit their response on how the natural environment and their participation in the environment through outdoor recreation were significant factors in their decision …

Organizing For Power: Understanding Changing Conceptions Of Power In Rural Community Organizing, Evan R. Morden

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Community organizing is a practice of building and utilizing collective power, often initiated by groups who have little or no preexisting social or economic power. By acting together in a disciplined, organized, and targeted fashion, organizing is used to exert influence in the public square to achieve policy outcomes, provide mutual aid, and reweave the fabric of social relations in communities, frequently in direct opposition to existing power structures. Thus, creating a shared understanding of power that is fundamentally liberative is key to the success of organizing efforts and moreover, to creating lasting community cohesion that can continue to mount …

A Theater Of The Absurd: Economic Sanctions In The Emerging Age Of Multipolarity, Travis Cunha

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Economic Sanctions have been imposed on nations throughout the Global South during the post-World War Two era. This led to the “Sanctions Decade” of the 1990s which saw the most devastating impacts on civilians in nations like Haiti and Iraq. The 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea resulted in sanctions being imposed on Russia by the European Union (EU), and retaliatory counter-sanctions from Moscow ensued shortly after. The Russian counter-sanctions banned the importation of certain agricultural foodstuffs from the EU, and this ban had significant implications for farmers in the EU who were now unable to sell to the large Russian …

Envisioning A Grassroots Framework For Community-Based Mental Health Crisis Intervention, Xandra C. Gradine

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The mental health and well-being of both individuals and communities are going to be best served by community-based services and care completely unreliant on traditional top-down models that often include inaccessible services and/or coercive methods. This is especially prevalent in the case of mental health crisis intervention; where most state-based interventions involve coercive agents who often are not given any specific training on mental health crisis response. As mental health crisis and suicide rates continue to rise in the U.S., and even the most well-respected model of crisis intervention has done little to resolve the issues of prisons serving as …

Evaluation Of A Veterans Treatment Court In The Northwest United States, Jacob Davis Stalcup

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This thesis provides an evaluation of a Veterans Treatment Court in the northwestern United States. Previously collected data from clients within the court was analyzed and helped format semi-structured interviews with court employees. The conclusion of this evaluation is that the court would operate more effectively if there was a focus on the recruitment and retention of veteran employees, especially peer mentors. This could be accomplished by policy changes involving hiring new employees.

Access To Technology In Humboldt County: Measuring Digital Preparedness At The Start Of A Pandemic, Lauren E. Proffitt

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This research is based on summer 2020 online survey data from a stratified random sample of 573 clients and care providers of a rural Northern California government social services agency. The goal was to study information technology access in Humboldt County, California, and the range of digital preparedness of clients of a local government agency: Humboldt County In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS). IHSS serves several groups of rural residents with low-income, foremost of which are older adults and people with disabilities. In 2020, in compliance with federal requirements, IHSS discontinued systems for paper-based client/provider confirmation of services, moving to digital technology-based …

"It Kind Of Polishes All Your Flaws Away": Long-Term Experiences With Psilocybin Mushrooms And The Influence Of Set And Setting, Danielle Nicole Daniel

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This study explores the experiences and motivations of people who take psilocybin mushrooms long-term. Little scholarly attention has been given to the psilocybin experience outside of a clinical setting. Likewise, there is a dearth of research examining the factors that lead to first-time and ongoing experiences with mushrooms. I conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews with 18 informants who have taken psilocybin mushrooms at least 10 times and for over three years. I encouraged open dialog and storytelling to gain a deeper understanding of their mushroom experiences and motivations to take long-term. Using a grounded theory approach, I identified the following patterns …

Alone On The Range? Rangeland Stakeholder Perceptions Of Public Lands, Community Change And Maintaining Rural Livelihoods, Hailee Rose Nolte

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Ranchers are a part of a rapidly changing rural western American landscape, and they play a special role in protecting and stewarding working landscapes. Rural communities in Eastern Oregon and Northeastern California have deeply rooted identities and economies connected to ranching and a high percentage of federal lands. The aim of this research is to: 1) document how ties to ranching are changing in communities undergoing social and economic change; 2) analyze the relationships and interactions between ranchers and federal management agency representatives; and 3) to identify how ranchers are maintaining their lifestyle under these circumstances. I interviewed representatives of …

Assessing California Commercial Fishing Community Well-Being In The Context Of Marine Protected Area (Mpa) Formation, Samantha Cook

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Marine protected areas (MPAs)—defined geographic areas where fishing and harvesting activity is limited or restricted—have emerged as a popular marine biodiversity and climate resilience strategy worldwide. MPA monitoring efforts often follow MPA designation to help inform the adaptive management of MPAs and MPA networks. In 2012, California completed the largest statewide system of MPAs to date, consisting of 124 MPAs covering 16% of state waters. Following MPA implementation, the state initiated a long-term monitoring program (2019-2022) to help inform the 10-year MPA management review. This two-chapter thesis presents findings from a state-funded project to conduct long-term socioeconomic monitoring for human …

Working Towards Land Return In Goukdi’N: A History Of Genocide And A Future Of Healing, Carrie Tully

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Since 2009, the city of Arcata, R. H. Emmerson & Sons, and Humboldt State University have collaborated on the transfer of an 884-acre tract of land in Goukdi’n (known locally as Jacoby Creek Forest). The main goals of this project are to prevent fragmentation of the land, protect wildlife, and to support and enhance student research opportunities. In the ten years that it took for this land to be transferred to the California State University and in the care of Humboldt State University the Wiyot Tribe was not consulted regarding the parcels, their purchase, or their being given to HSU. …

True North Organizing Network, Evan R. Morden

Sociology Senior Capstones

Internship Report. True North Organizing Network. SOC 482.

Skill Development And The Making Of The Global Citizen: An Analysis Of Student Experiences With Study Abroad At Humboldt State University, Kellie S. Wilkerson

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Global citizenship is seen as an emerging necessity as work places are shifting to a more global environment and as challenges we face are becoming more global in nature. This thesis focuses on the creation and nurturing of global citizenship through participation in study abroad programming at Humboldt State University (HSU). Research has shown participation in study abroad has an impact on the participant’s skill development (Farraguia and Sanger 2017) and such skill development can be applied to advancement of global citizenship. This thesis utilizes a mixed methodology to develop a thorough understanding of the level of skills associated with …

Community Development Financial Institutions (Cdfis): An Analysis Within The Political And Economic Context Of Neoliberalism, Tracie Victoria Wynand

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This thesis explores Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) business models by examining the organizational structures, procedural operations, services, and geography. It aims to understand its overall behavior as a financial institution providing low-income communities financial services and ultimately the role it plays within the neoliberal context. The research identifies that CDFIs ultimately hold a mission that promotes economic prosperity from within the neoliberal project by expanding free-market capitalist beliefs and practices when servicing low-income communities. Additionally, the findings suggest that CDFIs take on the role of the neoliberal state by operating in tandem with the Nonprofit Industrial Complex (NPIC), which …

Changing Seasons Of Resistance: Impacts Of Settler Colonialism And Climate Change In Indigenous Worlds, Elizabeth Jackson

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This paper looks at the relationship between neoliberal capitalism, genocide, the biopolitics of settler colonialism and the impacts of climate change on the cultures and traditional lifeways of Indigenous communities. It also explores Indigenous modes and methods of adaptation and resilience. Climate Change is almost certainly the most urgent social problem in the history of human life on planet Earth. Many Indigenous people are more vulnerable to the effects of climate change due to marginalization and their commitment to land-based practices. Using in depth interviews with Indigenous Peoples, primarily from the Pacific Northwest, and the analysis of existing literature, this …

Ethnic Identity And Stress Appraisal As Acculturative Stress Processes Among Armenian Americans, Tsolak Michael Kirakosyan

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The current study examined the role of ethnic identity and stress appraisal as buffers of the relationship between acculturative stress and wellbeing in a national sample of Armenian American adults between eighteen and thirty-nine years old (N = 159; 62.89% women, 32.08% men; mean age = 25.59, SD = 5.30). Acculturative stress positively correlated with depressive symptoms, and negatively with self-esteem and positive stress appraisal. Stronger ethnic identity affirmation and belonging was related to less depressive symptoms, more positive stress appraisal, and greater self-esteem and life satisfaction. In hierarchical linear regression analyses, acculturative stress significantly predicted more depressive symptoms, …

From Screen To Summit: An Investigation Of Claims About Social Media Use For Outdoor Recreation Purposes, Theodora M. Doyon

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Recent increases in visitation to public lands in the U.S. are often attributed to a rise in social media sharing of outdoor spaces, and particularly to the use of geotagging and hashtagging for location sharing. There are conflicting views on the influence of social media on visitation to public lands, including negative perceptions of social media users, and positive perceptions of social media’s potential to spread information to underrepresented and underserved communities. Due to the growing interest in social media use and its effects on outdoor spaces, it is important to understand how social media use correlates with recreational behavior …