Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Social Capital At The Rural Winter Farmers’ Market: An Exploratory Study Connected To Sustainability And Local Food Systems, Shaun S. Phillips

Culminating Projects in Social Responsibility

Farmer's markets have seen phenomenal growth in the United States since 1994, and in the last five years winter farmers' markets (WFMs) have also gained popularity. In this study, I explore social capital which consists of social networks, trust and reciprocity, and resources (Glanville and Bienenstock, 2009) at the WFM with the aim of learning about the role of the social capital with a focus on the vendors. Despite being seldom used in empirical studies, I employ James Coleman's ( 1988) forms of social capital which include: obligations, expectations, and trustworthiness of structures, information channels, and norms and sanctions, and …

Secular Mode, Sacred Message: How Contemporary Christian Musicians Are Called By God To Perform, Matthew W. Lauritsen

Undergraduate Research in Sociology

Contemporary Christian music occupies nearly every genre of music today. Their styles range from country to heavy metal. Yet screaming into the microphone and making guttural noises doesn’t seem like it could possibly be a form of Christian worship. Or can it? The way in which Christian musicians have reinterpreted the acceptance of secular genres to promote a Christian message has changed dramatically over the course of Christian music history and most significantly within the last decade.

Contemporary Christian worship leaders within the church are consciously challenging, reinterpreting, and renegotiating religion to theologically justify the use of secular modes to …

Surviving With Spirituality: An Analysis Of Scientology In A Neo-Liberal Modern World, Kevin D. Revier

Undergraduate Research in Sociology

The neoliberal system has expanded fertile ground for markets to produce and distribute spiritual commodities. This paper examines how the Church of Scientology profits by selling spiritual goods to the modern neoliberal consumer. To accumulate data, I conducted interviews and participated in various rituals at the Church of Scientology in St. Paul, Minnesota. I outline and examine the data in four sections: the initiation process of the latent member, their consumption patterns in the Church, social interactions between members, and how these interactions bridge the Church into the public arena. I conclude that the Church is a market institution that …

Rite Or Wrong: A Comparison Of The Presence And Social Significance Of Body Modifications In Different Religious Groups In Minnesota, Emily J. Peterson

Undergraduate Research in Sociology

No abstract provided.

Micro-Credit Lending And Women's Empowerment: The Experiences Of Rural Kasoa Women, Eunice Adjei-Bosompem

Culminating Projects in Social Responsibility

In an attempt to alleviate poverty and empower poor people, many NGOs and government agencies have been providing credit and social services to rural women in the Kasoa district of Ghana. The goal of these credit schemes is to help the rural poor, especially women earn a living through their on-going income generating activities.

This study found that micro-credit programs are very helpful in empowering rural women to enhance their economic activities to meet the needs of their families as well as afford them the opportunity to contribute in household decisions.

This study concluded that micro-credit schemes empower rural women. …

Ethical Thinking And Practice For Parent And Family Life Educators, Ethics Committee Of The Minnesota Council On Family Relations, Glen F. Palm

Child and Family Studies Faculty Publications

Parent and family life educators face difficult ethical issues on a daily basis. These issues may include observing parenting practices that may be harmful to children, responding to parent remarks about their partners, or sharing information about a family with a professional in another agency. Some of these situations may be resolved by reviewing general principles of good practice with a colleague, while others may reveal a true ethical dilemma.

Parent and family life educators are working with complex family systems, diverse belief and value systems, and a variety of social institutions and agencies. Many face these issues in relative …

Who's Caring For The Kids? The Status Of The Wages And Working Conditions Of The Early Childhood Workforce In Minnesota, Jennifer L. Andres

Culminating Projects in Child and Family Studies

The purpose of this study was to determine the wages and benefits that Minnesota center-based early childhood teachers received during 2007. The study utilized a questionnaire that was distributed to a random sample of licensed, center-based child care programs in Minnesota. Five hundred programs were randomly selected and surveyed with a response of247 programs (48.4%). The results were compared to the results of a similar study completed in 1996.

Results of the study indicated that a large percentage of the teachers (45%) still received less than $10.00 per hour for their work. Only 5% of the teachers earned $18.00-$20.00 per …

Racism And Public Education, Luke S. Tripp

Ethnic and Women's Studies Working Papers

This essay argues that the U.S. public school system is structured along racial and social class lines determined by powerful political and economic forces, and that there is a racial and class tracking system in public education that reproduces the race and class structure of the society. Further, it describes how schools play a principal role in perpetuating ideological racism through a social studies curriculum that is designed to promote white supremacy by distorting American history in such a way that it portrays whites as agents of progress and builders of civilizations and Blacks as insignificant objects or deficient characters.

Race, Merit, And College Admissions, Luke S. Tripp

Ethnic and Women's Studies Working Papers

Is it fair to include race in the criteria for admission to highly selective colleges and universities so that Blacks will be present in greater numbers on college and university campuses? This is a central question in the affirmative-action controversy. To address this key question we will focus on prestigious institutions of higher education because that is where affirmative action policies are most controversial. Therefore, we will consider some of the most compelling arguments of opponents and proponents of affirmative action programs and policies at prestigious colleges and universities.

The State Of Teen Dating Violence Education In High Schools, Jennifer L. Anderson

Culminating Projects in Social Responsibility

No abstract provided.

Remembering Tallahassee, Sudie Hofmann

Human Relations and Multicultural Education Faculty Publications

[Personal narrative of an active approach to confronting public attitudes about Native American stereotypes inherent in college athletic team names.]

You Bet They're Having Fun! Older Americans And Casino Gambling, Linda Havir, Janet Hope

Sociology Faculty Publications

This exploratory two-stage study of a small sample of older Minnesotans finds no evidence that casino gambling activities threaten their well being. For most respondents the social benefits were the most salient parts of this activity and they were well aware of the danger signs of problem behaviors. Social exchange theory explains why they visit casinos and how much they spend. The life course perspective explains their decisions based on past behaviors and consistent with how they have lived their lives. We suggest that age norms determine the public's perceptions that casino gambling is problematic for older people. Results are …

Working With Fathers...Fathers As Protectors -- Building Circles Of Safety, Glen F. Palm

Child and Family Studies Faculty Publications

Part of the "Working with Fathers: Methods and Perspectives" column published by Family Information Services (Minneapolis, MN) and here published with their generous permission..

Working With Fathers...Dads & Emergent Literacy, Glen F. Palm

Child and Family Studies Faculty Publications

Part of the "Working with Fathers: Methods and Perspectives" column published by Family Information Services (Minneapolis, MN) and here published with their generous permission..

Working With Fathers...Fatherhood 2000: Looking Backwards Towards The Future, Glen F. Palm

Child and Family Studies Faculty Publications

Part of the "Working with Fathers: Methods and Perspectives" column published by Family Information Services (Minneapolis, MN) and here published with their generous permission..

Fathers In Prison, Learning, Glen F. Palm

Child and Family Studies Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Grandparents Raising Grandchildren, Linda Havir, Douglas Olson

Sociology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Working With Fathers...Working With Fathers & Ethical Issues, Glen F. Palm

Child and Family Studies Faculty Publications

Part of the "Working with Fathers: Methods and Perspectives" column published by Family Information Services (Minneapolis, MN) and here published with their generous permission..

Ethical Thinking And Practice For Parent & Family Educators, Glen F. Palm

Child and Family Studies Faculty Publications

This handout was part of the March 1999 Methods & Materials section adapted from Ethical Thinking and Practice for Parent and Family Educators, MCFR (1998) and published by Family Information Services (Minneapolis, MN) and here published with their generous permission..

Working With Fathers...Fathers And New Lessons About Anger, Glen F. Palm

Child and Family Studies Faculty Publications

Part of the "Working with Fathers: Methods and Perspectives" column published by Family Information Services (Minneapolis, MN) and here published with their generous permission..

Working With Fathers...Working With Incarcerated Fathers, Glen F. Palm

Child and Family Studies Faculty Publications

Incarcerated fathers want to improve their parenting skills.

Part of the "Working with Fathers: Methods and Perspectives" column published by Family Information Services (Minneapolis, MN) and here published with their generous permission..

Top Ten Activities For Young Children And Dads, Glen F. Palm

Child and Family Studies Faculty Publications

This handout was part of the November Methods & Materials section published by Family Information Services (Minneapolis, MN) and here published with their generous permission..

An Integrative Review Of Criminological Theory: Determining The Extent To Which The Scope Conditions Of Time And Location Have Been Addressed, Douglas L. Gilbertson

Culminating Projects in Criminal Justice

Modern social science is the result of the development of numerous perspectives which attempt to explain social phenomena. One such explanation is offered by Turner (1978). He suggests that concepts explain phenomena from either a concrete or abstract perspective which is relative to the scope conditions of time and location. This study--using Turner's scope conditions--defines time as events or periods within human existence (conception, prenatal, birth, and life-course). It defines location as either individuals (focusing on individuals or social networks) or as structures (focusing on groups, organizations, and society).

The body of knowledge related to criminal behavior is established within …

Working With Fathers...Planning For Dads And Kids Together Time, Glen F. Palm

Child and Family Studies Faculty Publications

Part of the "Working with Fathers: Methods and Perspectives" column published by Family Information Services (Minneapolis, MN) and here published with their generous permission..

Working With Fathers...Future Of Fatherhood: The "Next Steps", Glen F. Palm

Child and Family Studies Faculty Publications

Part of the "Working with Fathers: Methods and Perspectives" column published by Family Information Services (Minneapolis, MN) and here published with their generous permission..

Working With Fathers...Father Attachment: Helping Fathers Build A Close Relationship, Glen F. Palm

Child and Family Studies Faculty Publications

Part of the "Working with Fathers: Methods and Perspectives" column published by Family Information Services (Minneapolis, MN) and here published with their generous permission..

Racial Ideological Warfare: Iq As A Weapon, Luke S. Tripp

Ethnic and Women's Studies Working Papers

Racial ideological warfare continues in America. This form of warfare is waged primarily against Black people. A major force prosecuting this war is an array of white academics, scholars, intellectuals, and social scientists (Coughlin, 1995; Heller, 1994). Their major premise is that Black people are mentally inferior to all other racial groups, especially the white race. This is the main thrust of The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life by Herrnstein and Murray which was ranked 5th on the New York Times Best Seller List on December 25, 1994. Its widespread popularity and appeal, and the accelerated …

Working With Fathers...Understanding Social Support For Fatherhood, Glen F. Palm

Child and Family Studies Faculty Publications

Part of the "Working with Fathers: Methods and Perspectives" column published by Family Information Services (Minneapolis, MN) and here published with their generous permission..

Racial Attitudes Of Black Students During The Reagan Era, Luke S. Tripp

Ethnic and Women's Studies Working Papers

The 1980s was a period when Blacks experienced setbacks and reversals in various areas of social life. Did the setbacks cause Blacks to turn away from whites? This is the question that is addressed in this study of the racial attitudes of Black college students. The purpose of this research is to describe the attitudes of Black students toward Whites during the Reagan era and compare their attitudes with the attitudes of the general Black population. To provide a background to interpret our findings, we will review the major political and economic events of the 1980s or the Reagan years. …

Working With Fathers...Home Alone Dads, Glen F. Palm

Child and Family Studies Faculty Publications

Most men detest the notion that they are "babysitting" during their solo parenting stints, but many are uncertain about what exactly their role is and should be during these times.

Part of the "Working with Fathers: Methods and Perspectives" column published by Family Information Services (Minneapolis, MN) and here published with their generous permission.