Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Review Of The Student Loan Mess: How Good Intentions Created A Trillion-Dollar Problem, John Mcnutt

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Joel Best and Eric Best, The Student Loan Mess: How Good Intentions Created a Trillion-Dollar Problem. University of California Press (2014). $26.95 (hardcover

An Intervention To Increase Ioa And Objectivity In Supervisors At Woodsedge Learning Center, Karli Silverman

Honors Theses

The purpose of my research was to increase interobserver agreement (IOA) and objectivity in supervisors at WoodsEdge Learning Center. We questioned whether or not designing and implementing a new grading sheet would lead to this outcome. Our methodology consisted of internet research regarding interventions to increase these measurements, followed by task analyses of the behaviors that should occur when tutors provided discrete trial training (DTT), surveys regarding the quality of feedback received at WoodsEdge, visits to various early intervention centers, and ended with the creation and multiple revisions of a new grading sheet. My involvement with this intervention ended before …

December 9, 2013: Kazoo Books Author Day, Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

No abstract provided.

The Implication Of Patient-Based Interventions Leading To A More Effective Treatment Of Anticipatory Nausea & Vomiting In Cancer Patients, Katelyn Delaney

Honors Theses

In the last thirty years, greater attention has been drawn to the aggressive methods of cancer treatment and the aversive conditioned symptoms they come to elicit. Anticipatory nausea and vomiting is one such aversive conditioned side effect and is significantly prevalent in cancer patients who undergo treatments like chemotherapy. In response to the ineffectiveness of pharmacological interventions to control these symptoms, behavioral intervention methods have grown as a topic of research. The implications of these behavioral interventions (including cognitive/attentional distraction, meditation and systematic desensitization) have proven effective in the treatment of the anticipatory nausea and vomiting and reducing patient anxiety. …

Cattle Smuggling From India To Bangladesh, Elyse Malnekoff

Honors Theses

This essay examines the current trend of rustling and transporting cattle from throughout India for trade at the cattle corridors that lie along the border between India’s West Bengal and Bangladesh. An analysis of historical and cultural factors seeks to explain how this trade possibly began and increased. These motivators include the effects of the Mad Cow disease outbreak in the 1980s on international beef trade and the many economic uses for bovines and their by-products in Bangladesh. This research also looks at cattle-specific legislation in India that prohibits many of the practices employed by smugglers and details some possible …

The Importance Of Anger Management Programs In Elementary Schools, Brittany Esterline

Honors Theses

Anger is a universal feeling. Everyone feels angry at some point in their life, and maybe even on the daily basis. Although it is often described as a negative emotion, anger is actually a healthy and natural emotion that should be expressed. It is how one responds to their anger that often disguises anger as an unhealthy emotion. Children who never learn to cope with their anger in a healthy way often struggle physically, mentally, emotionally, and academically.

“According to information obtained by the Learning First Alliance, 15 percent of students are only able to fit into an academic environment …

Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project Annual Report, 2012-2013, Michael Nassaney

Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project

The Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project continued to maintain its high standards in research, teaching, and public outreach in the examination of the fur trade and colonialism in southwest Michigan under the auspices of the Fort St. Joseph Archaeology Advisory Committee. Over the past year (September 1, 2012 through August 31, 2013) Western Michigan University (WMU) students and faculty, along with interested stakeholders and community volunteers, collaborated in both the archaeological investigation of Fort St. Joseph as well as the dissemination of information to an expanding audience. The highlights of the past year include:

• The newly released DVD, "Militia Muster,” …

Wmu International News Fall 2013, Haenicke Institute

WMU International News

In this issue:

• Empowering global engagement across the arts and sciences
• Employees abroad: Spanish immersion program expands understanding of international education
• Excelling in public relations key goal for Chinese twinning student
• WMU cultural anthropologist examines migration and lupus in Ecuador
• Ambiguity of borders continues to intrigue alumna from Berlin
• Visits to 35 countries complements global studies major
• Veteran administrator tapped to lead University’s international initiatives
• Future Iraqi engineer discovers the world at WMU
• WMU alumna coach points Japanese tennis player to Kalamazoo

December 1, 2013: Bay Psalm Book Auctioned For $14.2 Million, Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

No abstract provided.

Still Siblings: The Perceived Importance Of Sibling Relationships For Foster Children, Jessica A. Church

Masters Theses

This research was conducted to answer the question “Do children who are perceived to have strong relationships with siblings and more access to their siblings have fewer problems adjusting to their foster care placement as observed by child welfare professionals?” This qualitative research project was completed through semi-structured interviews with professionals who work with children in foster care in a variety of ways (and may have worked with children in more than one way during their career in child welfare), such as foster care workers, counselors, and sibling visitation supervisors. The snowball sampling method was used in this research. These …

Evaluation Of The Efficacy Of A Rat Agreement Based Reinforcement Procedure, Katherine B. Lalonde

Masters Theses

Since 2007, giant African pouched rats (Cricetomys gambianus) have been used successfullyfor detecting Tuberculosis (TB) positive patients.The rats are trained to detect TB-positive sputum samples through the use of operant conditioning techniques, in which an indicator response is rewarded with food. If the rats are to be used for first line screening of patients reinforcement could not be provided because the true status of the sample would be unknown. The present study evaluated the effects of a reinforcement-for-agreement procedure that could be used to reinforce indication responses when the true status of the sample is unknown. Four rats evaluated 100 …

La Oficina De La Mujer (Omm): A Conduit For Social Empowerment Among Women In A Small Guatemalan Lake Community, Rachel Volk

Masters Theses

La Oficina de Municipal de la Mujer, the Municipal Office of Women, is a recent creation of the Guatemalan central government meant to help address the inequalities that women experience each day. Like so many towns in Guatemala, La Laguna (pseudonym) contains high levels of poverty and unemployment. Here, women encounter difficulties finding employment, whether as a result of the poor economy or the bigotry arising from structural sexism and racism. My investigation of the OMM uses qualitative anthropological techniques to understand the purpose and effects that this organization has towards women‟s marginalized position in the town. The application of …

Silence, Declaration, And Circumstance: Rethinking Women’S Roles In Saudi Arabia, Ashleigh Elizabeth Dunham

Masters Theses

The canon of academic research on Saudi Arabian women still fails to address the stereotypical images that represent them. While Anglo-American models of feminism may benefit American women, they cannot and should not be a lens through which Americans view Saudi women, as American and Saudi cultures are fundamentally different. Because of this issue, Anglo-American feminism along with the obvious problems of racism and Islamophobia contribute to the American assumption that Saudi Arabian women lack agency and control of their lives. The resulting ideologies continue to influence American ideas about Saudi Arabian women’s access to the opportunities that non-Saudi women …

Labeling Research Deviant: A Comparative Analysis Of Federal Ad Hoc Commissions On Human Subject Research, Brian W. Rossana

Masters Theses

A review of the literature suggests there is still reason for concern due to the nature of deviant research in the past and the continued existence of ambiguous guidelines in particular organizational contexts. Federal ad hoc commissions have been a prominent environment where the absorption of the social reaction to deviant events and discussions regarding bioethics has transpired. The goal then was to ask what conditions of commissions lead to the presence of a research deviant? A convenience sample of nine U.S. federal ad hoc commissions was performed utilizing a method known as crisp-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (csQCA). The results …

Roatan Honduras And Perceptions Of Divers’ Location Choices In The Caribbean, Juli Dawn Tripicchio

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study is to determine the hierarchy of location choices that divers make for destinations in the Caribbean; to identify where Roatan, Honduras fits into this hierarchy; and to determine strategies to increase the volume of dive tourists to Roatan. This research may provide resorts on Roatan, along with other Caribbean dive destinations, with data to incorporate into their own planning and marketing processes so they can better accommodate dive customers and their families. In order to get a better understanding of dive customers, a survey was given to customers of a survey was conducted at a …

Cross-Reporting Of Interpersonal Violence And Animal Cruelty: The Charlotte Project, Dennis D. Long, Shanti J. Kulkarni

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The overlapping nature of interpersonal violence and animal cruelty is well established, however historically each issue has been addressed by distinct and separate protective systems. An innovative community-based project is described that utilized crosstraining as a mechanism to foster collaboration between human services and animal control agencies. Findings are useful for professionals and community stakeholders interested in facilitating the cross-reporting of interpersonal violence and animal cruelty.

Environmental Beliefs And Concern About Animal Welfare: Exploring The Connections, Catherine A. Faver

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

An online survey examined environmental beliefs and concern about animal welfare among 105 social work students in the U.S.- Mexico border region. Environmental beliefs were measured using items from the revised New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) Scale (Dunlap, Van Liere, Mertig, & Jones, 2000). Higher concern about animal welfare was significantly related to three dimensions of the revised NEP Scale: (1) belief in the fragility of nature's balance, (2) belief in the possibility ofan ecological crisis, and (3) rejection of the notion that humans have a right to dominate nature (anti-anthropocentrism). The findings suggest that by making explicit connections between the …

Expanding The Ecological Lens In Child Welfare Practice To Include Other Animals, Christina Risley-Curtiss

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Sixty-nine million U.S. households have companion animals and most of these families consider these animals to be family members. Research shows that children have powerful emotional connections with animals that can be both beneficial and harmful. Considerable research findings report that violence against animals often co-occurs with, indicates, or predicts other forms of family violence, including child abuse. A companion animal may be an abused child's confidante, and separation from that animal through foster care may be a source of stress and grief for that child. Child welfare agencies are slowly acknowledging some animal-human relationships, especially in regard to animal …

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 40, No. 4 (December 2013)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

REDEFINING SOCIAL WELFARE: CONNECTIONS ACROSS SPECIES

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• INTRODUCTION TO THE SPECIAL ISSUE: REDEFINING SOCIAL WELFARE: CONNECTIONS ACROSS SPECIES - Christina Risley-Curtiss
• HUMAN CONSEQUENCES OF ANIMAL EXPLOITATION: NEEDS FOR REDEFINING SOCIAL WELFARE - Atsuko Matsuoka and John Sorenson
• THE IMPACT OF COMPANION ANIMALS ON SOCIAL CAPITAL AND COMMUNITY VIOLENCE: SETTING RESEARCH, POLICY AND PROGRAM AGENDAS - Phil Arkow
• RELATIONAL ECOLOGY: A THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK FOR UNDERSTANDING THE HUMANANIMAL BOND - Jennifer M. Putney
• CHILDREN'S IDEAS ABOUT THE MORAL STANDING AND SOCIAL WELFARE OF NON-HUMAN SPECIES - Gail F Melson
• EXPANDING THE ECOLOGICAL LENS IN CHILD WELFARE PRACTICE TO INCLUDE OTHER …

Humans' Bonding With Their Companion Dogs: Cardiovascular Benefits During And After Stress, Rebecca A. Campo, Bert N. Uchino

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study examined whether having one's companion dog present during and after stress posed similar cardiovascular benefits as having a close friend present, even when the relationship quality for both the companion dog and friend was highly positive. Positive aspects of relationship quality for participants' dog and friend were not associated with one another, suggesting that these relationships exist independently. Additionally, compared to participants with a close friend present, those with their dog present had lower heart rate and diastolic blood pressure (p's < .05) while undergoing the stressors, and tended to have lower heart rate and systolic blood pressure (p's < .09) when recovering from stressors. This study indicates that even when relationship quality is similarly high for companion dogs and friends, dogs may be associated with greater reductions in owners' cardiovascular reactivity to stress, particularly if there is a potential for evaluation apprehension in the human friendships. These findings support the value of the human- companion animal relationship in promoting human welfare.

Index Of Volume Xl, 2013

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare Contents of Volume XL-2013

An Assessment Of Public Outreach With Children And Educators Conducted By The Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project, Erica A. D’Elia

Masters Theses

Archaeological public outreach to children can be enhanced through collaboration with school educators. While archaeologists have begun to collaborate with local and descendant communities, they have been slow to engage in work with educators in the same manner. The Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project provides the context for me to explore some of the current issues in public archaeology and the politics of education. My study was conducted to better understand the needs of both children and teachers. In my work with the archaeological summer camp for middle school students I seek to conceptualize how the camp enhances their educational …

“Common Sense” Versus “Good Sense”: Marginalization In Agriculture, Mark W. Hoock

Masters Theses

Scholars have engaged in discussions of when and where capitalism emerged in agrarian America. These discussions have led to categorizations that placed some farms outside the discussion of capitalist interrelationships. This separation homogenized many 19^th and early 20^th century farms on the Hector Backbone in Schuyler County New York into a “non-capitalist” category. This thesis aims to illuminate the real lived conditions of a sample of these farmers through a Marxist dialectical perspective. Archeological analysis of production strategies, through a Marxist framework allows for a better understanding of the differences between individual marginalized farms. Since analysis of a …