Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Exploring The Lived Experiences Of Parkland College Students, Yashvardhan Ahlawat, Michael Bellamy Iii, Ethan Derringer, Sheena Shane

Ethnographies of Parkland Student Life

Parkland College is home to roughly 10,000 students, coming from various backgrounds and cultures. This diversity in the student body, led us to focus this study on the types of resources offered to Parkland students. We believe that the college answers to the needs of its students and that looking at these resources in terms of academics and mental health can help identify the challenges that students deal with in their lived experiences.

Habitus in cultural anthropology is defined as the “dispositions, attitudes, or preferences” that a community uses to create an identity (Griffith and Marion 2020). By observing the …

Parkland Pathways Impact On The Student Body, Chase Belt, Blessing Omoniyi, Margaret Daniels, Taylor Blackwell

Ethnographies of Parkland Student Life

The goal of our group’s study was to find differences between Parkland Pathway students to Illinois and non Pathway students. We gathered information from students and faculty to observe and analyze the culture of the Pathway program from many perspectives.

An Ethnography Of Factors Leading Students To Choose Parkland, Dwayne Hubbard, Jaimee Hudson, David Schroeder, Jazmine Smith

Ethnographies of Parkland Student Life

Our research question was focused on why students choose Parkland, a community college, and not a 4-year institution where they can get a bachelors degree if their goal is the college degree. Looking at Parkland’s website and at studies on community colleges (Chen 2021) we found that most outsiders looking in would say that the flexibility of a two-year college is one of the most significant advantages. You can enroll in classes that fit into your schedule and you can also generally transfer your credits to a four-year university later if you decide to earn a bachelors degree. We wanted …

College Misconceptions, Craig Ondevilla, Thalia Gonzalez, Aaron Saucedo, Alam Martinez

Ethnographies of Parkland Student Life

Researching a topic can never take the place of actually experiencing something, but you can find out a lot about a topic by looking at information online. You can’t research every aspect of college to be completely prepared, but you could still learn a lot so why isn’t the difficulty of adjusting to college a thing of the past? Our group chose to focus on college misconceptions because with so much information readily available online, we want to know what areas students still end up struggling with. We wanted to gain insights on how college students’ expectations of college compared …

A Plague On Both Our Houses, Matthew Carley

The Diana McDonald Writer's Challenge

Matthew Carley describes similarities between the traumas often experienced by children who grow up in poverty and the traumas that we hear about with regard to war veterans. Using his own experiences growing up as an example, Carley describes the substance abuse, physical abuse, anger, and neglect that too often are experienced by children in impoverished households. In this essay, he argues for employing on behalf of poor, traumatized children the kinds of programs and interventions that we know to be effective for veterans with PTSD.

An Ethnographic Study Of Student Eating Habits At Parkland, Jordan Goodhart, Aaron Triplett, Tyler Thomas, Logan Haake, Prechethan Kesireddy

Ethnographies of Parkland Student Life

Our research question was broad as we chose to examine the eating habits of Parkland students and how it may affect their performance in the classroom. We also chose to focus on how Parkland students’ eating/snacking habits have changed since being at Parkland compared to high school or wherever they snacked before becoming college students. From our cultural anthropology course, we understand that food and eating habits are part of the “everyday actions that reflect cultural ideas” and can be studied to define the identity of a group (Miller Griffith and Marion 2020). Our research will reflect part of the …

Food Insecurity: Parkland College’S Micro Food Banks With Wesley Food Pantry Honors Project, Jesse Swanson

A with Honors Projects

No abstract provided.

A Literature Review Of Intrapersonal Interventions To Reduce Partisan Affective Polarization, Katrina Powers

A with Honors Projects

This literature review examines research conducted on intrapersonal interventions for the reduction of partisan affective polarization.

Importance Of Spending Time In Nature, Peyton M. Daniel

A with Honors Projects

In this honors project, the author explores the benefits of forest schools and forest bathing in education.

Cultural Heritage And Storytelling: The Role Of Mythology And Folklore In Popular Fictional Novels, Katrina Powers

A with Honors Projects

An ethnographic paper focusing on how mythology and folklore in popular fictional novels connects readers to cultural heritage.

Development Of A Pronoun Usage Learning Module To Enhance Faculty Education, Evelyn Ashley

A with Honors Projects

Create slideshow presentations about the importance of proper pronoun usage in academia. In the presentations, topics such as the role academia has in educating students on proper pronoun/language usage for both education and industry, how improper pronoun usage hinders transgender students' ability to perform at their maximum capacity, and ways that instructors can foster a safe and welcoming environment in regard to proper pronoun usage will be discussed.

Race, Gender, And Misogynoir, Evelyn Ashley

Independent Honors Projects

A minimum 1200-word essay on a topic of racism (I chose misogynoir) with at least two sources. The essay was written after attending two Race Talks events put on by the Parkland Honors Program in conjunction with other organizations at Parkland.

Fiction And Empathy: Does Reading Support Socio-Emotional Development In Adolescents?, Katrina Powers

A with Honors Projects

A paper exploring research on reading and empathy to determine if reading fiction would support socio-emotional development in adolescents.

How Autism Representation In The Media Influences People's Attitudes: A Literature Review, Eleanor Klein

A with Honors Projects

A literature review of research revealed how media influences attitudes about autistic* people. Several factors lead to negative attitudes: Not emphasizing positive characteristics, emphasizing differences, and portraying autistic people as burdens. Contrasting factors lead to positive attitudes, including: Emphasizing positive characteristics and commonalities, portraying intergroup friendships, giving accurate information about autism, and depicting differences positively. Examples of media are described that are likely to promote negative or positive attitudes towards autistic people. Further research must improve measures of attitudes, determine what autistic people believe is accurate representation, and explore the impact of attitude change based on type of media consumed.

Community Engagement E-News - May 2022, Parkland College

Service Learning Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Spaces Of Community In Champaign-Urbana, Jacob Alfonso, Tate Herges, Alana Brown

Ethnographies of Parkland Student Life

Our research question was to focus on how the Champaign Public Library (pictured below), the Virginia Theater (right), and Meadowbrook Park (far right) have contributed to the culture of Champaign Urbana as a whole. Being a community that represents different cultures from many diverse backgrounds, we wanted to focus on the contribution to this diversity of different spaces, which we feel best represent Champaign Urbana.

Generational Views On Cars And Public Transportation, Kenneth Lahners, Yuanpei Su

Ethnographies of Parkland Student Life

In an America where cars reign supreme, it may be a surprise to learn that some people dislike driving. Cars have long represented the American dream and our cultural values of individualism and freedom; for some, they are a social status symbol representative of wealth or personality (Griffith and Marion 2020, 310). In this research project, we set out to explore how older and younger people in our community perceive cars and public transportation in order to try to determine if this cultural value, and the role that cars play in America's cultural heritage, are changing.

Spaces Of Community In Champaign Urbana, Caullin Heebner, Zoey Dye

Ethnographies of Parkland Student Life

Our research question was to focus on how the research farm at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign (UIUC) and the iconic bar KAMS on the UIUC campus town contribute to the culture of Champaign Urbana as a whole. Being a community that represents many different cultures from many different backgrounds we wanted to focus on these locations, which we feel best represent Champaign Urbana.

Storytelling And Its Role In Cultural Heritage, Jacob Barker, Katrina Powers

Ethnographies of Parkland Student Life

In our research, we wanted to explore how storytelling connects people to cultural heritage. Specifically, we were interested in how mythology, folklore, and religion are displayed. In one case, we explored how mythology and folklore in popular fictional novels connected readers to cultural heritage. Our second focus examined how storytelling amongst immigrant communities connected them to their cultural heritage.

Storytelling And Its Role In Cultural Heritage, Asia Djafar, Amalie Legrande

Ethnographies of Parkland Student Life

In our research, we wanted to explore how storytelling connects people to cultural heritage. First, we focused on how Greek mythology and constellations are linked to cultural heritage. We also investigated how Norse mythology and storytelling connect people to their cultural heritage.

An Ethnographic Study Of Generational Differences In Religious Beliefs And Values, Jeremiah Martens, Josiah Freedman

Ethnographies of Parkland Student Life

For this project, I chose to investigate the (possibly differential) influence of one prominent contemporary religious institution the Catholic Church on the values and evaluations of the Church's moral credibility held by members of distinct generations. - Josiah It was through engaging in participant observation and conducting formal interviews that I gathered the bulk of my data. In addition to these, I held informal conversations with people exhibiting varying degrees of personal alignment with Catholic values; these conversations provided me with data that was qualitatively different from that gathered using the other two methods. While using participant observation to discover …

Native American Reservations, Brooklyn Gonzalez, Casey Conway, Ginger Erl Soper

Ethnographies of Parkland Student Life

DEFINITION : A Native American reservation is an area of land that is owned and governed by a Native American tribe and managed by the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs. Such reservation is not required to follow the state government laws in which the area is located.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this research is to spread awareness about society’s current state of knowledge regarding Native American Reservations and Native American culture in a variety of contexts.

APPLICATION: This research is intended to educate others on Native American culture.

Native American Reservations, Now And Then, Ben Hubbard, Alec Valentino

Ethnographies of Parkland Student Life

Research Focus

• To determine the history of living conditions at Native American Reservations
• To learn how Native American leaders tried to improve their community
• To discover how traditions are passed down the generations to the present day

Community Engagement E-News – January 2022, Parkland College

Service Learning Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Community Engagement E-News - September 2021, Parkland College

Service Learning Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Community Engagement E-News - April 2021, Parkland College

Service Learning Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Global Studies Initiative Faculty Report: Interdisciplinary Collaborations, Dale Gardner

Global Studies Initiatives in Social Sciences 2020 - 2021

No abstract provided.

Global Studies Initiative Faculty Report: Interdisciplinary Collaborations, Lauren Anaya

Global Studies Initiatives in Social Sciences 2020 - 2021

No abstract provided.

Global Studies Initiative Faculty Report: Interdisciplinary Collaborations, Shannon Bridges

Global Studies Initiatives in Social Sciences 2020 - 2021

No abstract provided.

Global Studies Initiative Faculty Report: Interdisciplinary Collaborations, Brooke Ferguson

Global Studies Initiatives in Social Sciences 2020 - 2021

No abstract provided.