Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Drug Use Among Female High School Senior Students In Michigan: An Application Of Social Bond Theory, Halime Unal

Masters Theses

Drug use is a serious problem affecting the American adolescents today. The focus of this study was the relationship between the elements of social bond and drug use among female high school senior students. The elements of social bond were peer pressure, commitment to school, and the importance of religious belief. Drugs investigated in this study were cigarette, alcohol and marijuana. This study included the total population of female senior students during the 1994-95 academic year in Michigan who participated in the Michigan Alcohol and'Other Drugs School Survey (MAOD).

In order to test the relationship between the elements of social …

A Study Of Ideological Change In Reggae Music From 1971 To 1993, William H. Stanley

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to see if the reggae music that became popular in the United States was ideologically different from the reggae that originated in Jamaica. The hypothesized change was derived from a model developed by Humphrey Regis (1994, 1988) labeled “cultural domination by re-exportation”. It was determined that early reggae music and the Rastafarian religion had very similar ideologies. The change within reggae music was measured against the Rastafarian belief system.

A content analysis of twenty-five songs was undertaken. The method of doing ideological analysis of the reggae lyrics was derived from Cormack (1992). The sample …

Defining American Dreams: An Ideological Analysis Of The Michigan Militia, Pamela Labelle

Masters Theses

The primary goal of this thesis is to explicate the system of beliefs underlying the militia movement in order to better understand how their particular ideology helps them make sense of the complexities and contradictions in the world in which we live. By delineating and analyzing their ideology, I demonstrate how it is rooted in the Constitution and the Bible, as well as how that rootedness can alternately support and work against their system of beliefs. I then examine the ideology of the mainstream American Dream to understand how militia ideology works in tandem with some of the principal tenets …

Latvians In Southwest Michigan: A Transnational Perspective, Andrew K. Dove

Masters Theses

The focus of this study was to look at the Latvian population in Southwest Michigan utilizing the transnational theoretical framework. Transnationalism examines the three-way relationship between the migrant, home community (Latvia), and host community (United States). First and second generation Latvian-Americans were interviewed to assess the nature of their transnational activities with regard to economics, politics, family ties, communication, and organizational membership.

The data were collected through the use of in-depth interviewing. Both an interview protocol and demographic survey were utilized. A total of 16 adult Latvian-Americans (N = 16) were interviewed. Eight were first generation Latvian-Americans (N = 8), …

Analysis Of The Skeletal Remains From The Knobloch Site, 20ae633, Allegan County, Michigan, Alexandra D. Bybee

Masters Theses

The skeletal remains of at least thirty individuals were recovered from the Knobloch site, 20AE633, Allegan County, Michigan. The site is from the Late Woodland period, a time which saw a variety of strategies for food procurement, including hunting, gathering, fishing, and agriculture. It is not known to what extent these strategies were practiced. The results of trace element analysis of skeletal samples from the Knobloch site assemblage indicate a diet reliant on hunting and gathering.

A Comparative Analysis Of The Harm That Russian And Chinese Organized Crime Groups Can Inflict On American Society, Bryce L. Hoekenga

Masters Theses

Determining which of the two main ethnic organized crime groups emerging in America poses a greater threat to society was the focus of this study. One group is from or is closely linked to Russia and the other group is from or is closely linked to China.

The aspects of each group that were discussed include their origins, their spread to America, how they structured, their membership sizes, the types of crimes they commit, and how law enforcement has responded to each group. The aspects that were compared between the two groups include their levels of sophistication, the seriousness and …

Professional Football Players Attitudes Toward Women And Violence, Shannon Marie O'Toole

Masters Theses

This study examined whether or not professional football players, because of the violence and aggression associated with their sport, tended to have attitudes that condoned or were conducive to violence against women. The forty-six subjects in this study were active members on teams in the National Football League and/or the National Football League sponsored World League. Information was gathered through the sue of self-reporting, non-random, questionnaires and interviews.

The study also explored the dynamics of domestic violence, the linking of aggression with professional sports and the characteristics of sport in United States society, especially as it relates to masculinity and …

Civil Society In Palestine: A Palestine Profile, Shadia Kanaan

Masters Theses

One definition of civil society dominated all theoretical and historical perspectives when it comes to the special case of civil society in Palestine. "Civil society is concerned with a society's total self re-producing ability through its inner strength in a manner that is distinct from the state" (Bishara 1995, 143). The hypothesis of this work is that civil society in Palestine existed and flourished in spite the absence of a national state and had played a fundamental role in the social and economic development of Palestinian society throughout its history. Civil society in Palestine poses an exception to the theory …

Community In Liberal Thought, Richard C. Brill

Masters Theses

The aim of this thesis is to research the role of community in liberal thought. The problem that has initiated this research is the erosion of traditional communal bonds in contemporary liberal society. This problem has been the focus of the debate between communitarians and liberals for the past two decades. The research problem will be to discover workable definitions of community and liberalism which have been plagued with multiple interpretations throughout the debate.

The method of this thesis will be to first frame in the environment of the original problem. The second chapter will address the precedents set by …

The Development And Validation Of A Multicomponent Scale Measuring Aids Phobia, Jessica Purtan Harrell

Masters Theses

The development, reliability, and validity of a new instrument, the Multicomponent AIDS Phobia Scale (MAPS), is described. The results indicate that the MAPS has strong internal consistency and moderate test-retest reliability. In addition, an assessment of concurrent and discriminant validity indicates statistically significant correlations with other self-report measures of anxiety, hypochondriasis, obsessive compulsive disorder, and fear of AIDS. The results of a factor analysis indicate that the scale consists of 2 factors: fear of infection and fear of others/avoidance. The instrument appears to be a reliable and valid measure of AIDS Phobia and may prove useful for improving clinical assessment …

Geographic Information Systems In High School Geography Education: A Feasibility Study, C. Sonia Wardley

Masters Theses

This research focused on three aspects of the integration of GIS into the high school curriculum. Firstly, the investigation strove to demonstrate how GIS could enrich the high school geography curriculum in Michigan. Secondly, GIS software programs were evaluated for suitability using three techniques, and thirdly, the study area high schools were assessed for their technological capabilities relative to GIS.

The pedagogical and cognitive benefits of using GIS as a tool were established _ from the pertinent literature and the feasibility of incorporating GIS into the curriculum was examined with the reference to the Michigan geography content standards and benchmarks. …

Eye Movement Desensitization And Reprocessing (Emdr) In The Treatment Of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Dismantling The Cognitive Component, Karen Cusack

Masters Theses

Twenty-three individuals meeting diagnostic criteria for post traumatic stress disorder were randomly assigned to either a standard EMDR treatment group or a modified treatment group that omitted the cognitive reprocessing component of EMDR. All subjects were assessed on a variety of pretest posttest measures including the SCL-90- R, the Impact of Events, the Structured Interview for PTSD, SUDS, and Validity of Cognitions (VoC). Results of repeated measures ANOVAs indicate a significant decrease across all pre to post measures, with these results being maintained at a 1 month followup. With the exception of SUDs and SCL-90-R anxiety scores, there were no …

Diversity And Spatial Structure Of Revitalization In The Vine Neighborhood In Kalamazoo, Michigan: 1980-1990, Lotta M. Jarnefelt-Burns

Masters Theses

Neighborhood revitalization, a process of turning an old, often run-down urban neighborhood into a fashionable and attractive place to live, has been studied in major cities in Europe, Australia and the United States. This process is a controversial combination of various social and economic changes since the late 1960s, and its magnitude and parameters have been disputed. This thesis zeroes in on one neighborhood that appears to be revitalizing, the Vine neighborhood in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The census data from 1980 and 1990 generally conflict with the revitalizing image of the area. In order to address this conflict, this research analyses …

Definition And Evaluation Of The Mississippian Lithic Assemblage From The Wymer-West Knoll (20 Be 132), Berrien County, Michigan, Sean R. Brown

Masters Theses

Analysis of the lithic assemblage from the Wymer-West knoll site was undertaken with the following objectives: (1) to define the lithic technology of the Mississippian occupational component of the site, (2) to compare length, width and width/length ratios of triangular projectile points from the Wymer-West knoll with other Mississippian sites to clarify the cultural affiliation of the Wymer-West knoll, and (3) to use site function, from the perspective of the overall Wymer-West knoll material culture in general and the Mississippian lithic technology in particular, as a framework to better understand the Wymer-West knoll's place in the regional culture history.

A …

Interpreting Diet By Age, Status, And Gender And Establishing Weaning Patterns Using Trace Element Analysis On Human Remains From Umm El-Jimal, Jordan, Monica Shah

Masters Theses

The intent of this study is to learn about the dietary patterns of early fourth century occupants of a Late Antique site in northern Jordan. Bone samples of 107 individuals from two distinct cemetery· types, assumed to be status differentiated, were chemically examined for their trace element composition. Trace element analysis can potentially investigate groups of individuals to attempt to determine if gender, age, or status influenced access to food resources.

Statistical tests found that significant differences of trace element concentrations were evident in an inter-burial area study for all adults and subadults, and when examining intra-burial area males and …

Flying Universities: Educational Movements In Poland 1882-1905 And 1977-1981, A Socio-Historical Analysis, Gregory A. Lukasik

Masters Theses

In Poland in 1977, a group of intellectuals formed an independent educational enterprise under the name "Flying University." Interestingly, the original "Flying University" was organized by a group of radical professors nearly a century earlier, at a time when the Polish state disappeared from the political map of Europe. I was interested in seeing whether the two were the same, as their common name would suggest, or if they differed in any respect. I attempted to answer this question by focusing on the so-called universities' memberships, ideologies, and objectives.

I have followed the method of interpretive historical sociology (Skocpol, 1979) …

The Education And Cultural Adaptation: Experiences Of Japanese Children In Foreign Cultures, Akiko Namiki

Masters Theses

This thesis explores the experiences of Japanese children and adolescents who reside in the United States as a consequence of their parents' jobs and examines how they adapted to a local society and how their cultural identities were affected by living in the United States before establishing stable identities. This study was completed by relating existing literature to interviews with a sample of Japanese children and adolescents, their mothers, and their teachers who reside in a Midwestern urban areas.

Experiences of the Japanese children and adolescents were examined in terms of their English language skills, Japanese language skills, family lives, …

A Statistical Analysis Of The Ceramics From The Dieffenderfer Site (20sj179), St. Joseph County, Michigan, Mark A. Steeby

Masters Theses

The Dieffenderfer site, located in Constantine Township, St. Joseph County, Michigan, is a multi-component site situated in the middle St. Joseph River valley. Calibrated radiocarbon dates from several features at the site suggest multiple re-use during the Late Woodland period from A.D. 1000 to A.D. 1400, with the most intensive occupations occurring during the 12th through 14th centuries. These dates are supported by a large Late Woodland ceramic assemblage in association with three spatially discrete activity areas; two of these activity loci are represented by housefloors, suggesting a degree of permanence by the residents.

A cluster analysis performed on the …

The Impact Of Political Instability On Economic Growth: Evidence From Developing Countries, Uisoon Kwon

Masters Theses

This thesis examined the impact of political instability on economic growth. This thesis included forty three developing countries and employed multiple regression analysis. Three hypotheses were tested. First, cross-nationally, political instability may serve to decrease the availability of factors of production. Second, cross-nationally, political instability will decrease the quantity of labor. Third, cross-nationally, political instability may negatively influence the timing and organization of the production process.

The statistical results of multiple regression were not significant at .05 level using t-test. Therefore the null hypotheses were not rejected. Based on statistical results, possible reasons for the statistical insignificance were considered in …

The Implications Of Deweyan Pragmatism For Liberal Democracies, Robert B. Fenneuff

Masters Theses

My research explores John Dewey's political theory in order to determine what practical and theoretical significance it has for liberal democratic nation-states that face significant problems in a number of areas. The problems Dewey's political theory is most concerned with stem from the impact of highly complex modern technology upon the ability of a democratic society to strive closer towards its ideals of freedom , equality, and community. My research shows that Dewey's theory calls for an experimental re-creation of social and political institutions with the purpose of creating an effective means by which society can organize the complex technology …

Little Golden Bookstm: An Analysis Of Every Child’S Literature, Sandra Ballman-Burke

Masters Theses

Modeling theory proposes that consequences received by the model are considered critical in determining whether or not modeled behaviors will be imitated (Bandura, Ross & Ross, 1961).

Despite the apparent significance of consequences, analyses of children's literature have failed to explore this link. Utilizing feminist research perspectives, I sought to examine variables explored in previous analyses of picture books, with emphasis on consequences received by models. I was interested in (a) consequences received by female and male characters when engaged in instrumental/independent activities (Kortenhaus & Demarest, 1993); (b) the ways in which female and male characters are stereotyped; and (c) …

Analysis Of The Motor Fitness And Strength Of The 1992 Through 1995 Western Michigan University Football Teams, Erick W. Schork

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine the motor fitness and strength characteristics of the 1992 through 1995 Western Michigan University football teams. Specifically, performance of the class of 1995 and various playing positions were compared to the performance of the entire team over a 4-year period. Approximately 100 members of the 1992 through 1995 Western Michigan University football teams were measured on tests that determined physical strength and motor fitness ability. These tests included the bench press, squat, hang clean, 20-yard shuttle run, 40-yard dash, vertical jump, and 300-yard shuttle run. ANOVAs or chi-square tests were calculated to …

Assessment Of The Discriminative Properties Of A Selective D3 Antagonist, Mary-Jo E. Miller

Masters Theses

Two groups of male Sprague-Dawley rats (n= 16) were used in a drug discrimination assay to assess the stimulus properties of PNU-99194A, currently the most selective D₃ dopamine antagonist. Eight rats were trained to discriminate cocaine-HCL (10 mg/kg) from saline and remaining eight rats were trained to discriminate PNU-99194A-HCL (10 mg/kg) from saline. PNU-99194A was tested for substitution (0-40 mg/kg, i.p and s.c.),. antagonism (5-20 mg/kg), and potentiation (5-20 mg/kg) in the animals trained with cocaine. PNU-99194A did not substitute for cocaine at any dose tested. PNU-99194A did not alter cocaine discrimination when administered in combination with the training …

Childhood Health And Nutrition: An Exploration Of Enamel Hypoplasia Studies Using The Milwaukee County Institutional Grounds Cemetery, 1882-1925, Maura K. Polli

Masters Theses

The focus of this study is the dentition of a Midwestern United States historic almshouse population, the Milwaukee County Institutional Grounds cemetery (MCIG), 1882-1925. A survey of linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH) in the anterior dentition of a subsample of this population has been conducted to demonstrate incidences of childhood stress. LEH is symptomatic of extended periods of disease or nutritional stress experienced during the formative years of tooth development.

A subsample of 140 individuals was examined for LEH. The labial surface of the anterior dentition was examined for the frequency and chronological distribution of LEH. The frequency of LEH ranges …

Determinants Of Worker Perceptions Of Team Effectiveness, Scott D. Mist

Masters Theses

This study measures perceptions of team effectiveness in a research and development organization from data obtained during an evaluation of a Federal Re-Invention Laboratory. The study is a secondary analysis which examines five scales, selected for their ability to measure team performance and satisfaction through the use of several values, behaviors and attitudes. These include empowerment, cohesion, team fitness, culture-power distribution, and culture.

A confirmatory factor analysis was used to analyze the strength of the question items of the scales. The factors were then utilized in four logistic regression analyses of dependent variables.

The analyses showed the relative strength of …

The White Extremist Movement: A Metatheoretical Analysis, Suzanne Vanweelde

Masters Theses

This study is a metatheoretical analysis of the white extremist movement in the United States. Five separate major and several smaller white extremist organizations were examined with respect to updated information as to the organizational levels, membership profiles and activities of: (1) the Ku Klux Klan, (2) the Militia, (3) Skinheads, (4) Aryan Nations, (5) the Neo-Nazi and (6) other organizations.

Several theories developed by foundational, developmental and contemporary sociologists were analyzed for their individual concepts. Pertinent and significant concepts were noted as being applicable to a theory of white extremism. Specific examples of the concepts' usage within the extremist …

Technological Analysis Of Ceramic Surface Treatments At The Wymer-West Knoll (20be132), A Mississippian Site In Southwestern Michigan, Suzannah Greve-Brown

Masters Theses

Red-slipped and blackened, burnished, shell-tempered ceramics from the Wymer-West knoll are described and analyzed. Such ceramics have not been previously recognized or detailed in south west Michigan. Similar ceramics do occur, however, at Mississippian sites in the upper Illinois and the Mississippi River valleys. The Wymer-West knoll ceramics are thus considered to be possible trade items. An X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy test is utilized in order to compare the red-slipped ceramics with ceramics having other surface treatments. A petrographic thin section analysis is also used to distinguish the potentially imported ceramics from shell-tempered, cordmarked ceramics presumably produced at the site. Results …

Aboriginal Autonomy: The Future Of Indigenous Development In Western Australia, Matthew B. Eugster

Masters Theses

The prospects for development within the Aboriginal society of Western Australia were the focus of this study. The Primary intent of the study was to examine the causes behind an apparent lack of development within Aboriginal society. Next, the study examined possible remedies for the situation.

The study determined that the lack of development in Aboriginal society can be attributed primarily to social dysfunction ( or social dislocation). Furthermore, social dislocation could be attributed to cultural deprivation or the inability to practice one's culture. It was proposed and established that cultural and political autonomy would provide an environment more suitable …

Acculturation Differences Among International Students At Western Michigan University, Kemal Aydin

Masters Theses

The acculturation of international students at Western Michigan University was studied in this thesis. Acculturation variables of perceived prejudice, observance of cultural practices and social ties, and language usage were measured. The results of this study shows that in terms of perceived prejudice, Western Michigan University's international students (except European and Hispanics students) tend to move away from a stimulus. Acculturation and language usage, however, indicate that there is no significant acculturation differences among the respondents. International students at Western Michigan University seem to prefer integration as reflected in a commitment to pluralism. In summary, international students at Western Michigan …

Responsibility, Submission, And Power: Social Factors Which Influence Rural Out-Migration Among Women In Southern Vietnam, Jeffery D. Wright

Masters Theses

This paper examines the circumstances that affect the decisions of young women living in rural southern Vietnam to move to Ho Chi Minh City in search of employment. Issues of power, submission, and responsibility that underlie interpersonal relationships in Vietnam will be discussed with special attention to the way they affect the lives of Vietnamese women. It has been widely suggested that rural out-migration in developing countries is largely economically driven. My own field research in Vietnam during the summer of 1996 suggests that the migration of women in southern Vietnam is not simply an attempt to make more money. …