Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Experience Of Retirement. Robert S. Weiss., Nancy Giunta

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Robert S. Weiss, The Experience of Retirement. New York: Cornell University Press, 2005. $18.95 papercover.

Widening The Circle: The Practice And Evaluation Of Family Group Conferencing With Children, Youths, And Their Families. Joon Pennell And Gary Anderson (Eds.)., Anne Abramson-Madden

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Joan Pennell and Gary Anderson (Eds.), Widening the Circle: The Practice and Evaluation of Family Group Conferencing with Children, Youths, and their Families. Washington, DC: NASW Press, 2005. $49.99 papercover.

Letters To The Editor, James Midgley, Harris Chaiklin, Wilma Peebles-Wilkins, Jeanne Marsh, Michael Sherraden, Howard Karger, Cheryl A. Hyde, David Stoesz

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

No abstract provided.

American Identity And Attitudes Toward English Language Policy Initiatives, Carlos Garcia, Loretta E. Bass

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Relatively little is known about what individual-level factors drive Americans' attitudes toward offering services to immigrants. Using national-level data and logistic regressions, we examine what factors co-vary with whether respondents agree or disagree with specific policy initiatives regarding support for English language use for immigrants. We then examine what factors are related to whether respondents agree that tax money should be used to fund English classes for immigrant children and adults. We find that age, race, and general warmth toward undocumented immigrants predict English-only attitudes, and that marital status, education, and warmth toward undocumented immigrants predict attitudes toward the use …

Domestic Violence And Human Rights: Local Challenges To A Universal Framework, Karen Morgaine

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Over the past 15-20 years there has been a dramatic increase in transnational social movements including the movement to eradicate violence against women. This paper examines the development of the transnational women's movement and the prioritizing of violence against women (VAW) as a universal women's agenda using the United Nations (U.N.) human rights conferences as a focal point. As one form of VAW, domestic violence (DV) has been placed into the human rights context by many organizations globally. The implications and possible limitations of universalizing a framework for DV are explored using salient examples from various areas of the world. …

Undermining Progress In Early 20th Century North Carolina: General Attitudes Towards Delinquent African American Girls, Tanya Smith Brice

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article examines efforts made to challenge progress towards adequate service provision for delinquent African American girls in early 20th century North Carolina. This article seeks to explore the nuances of aid, from the African American community and by progressive whites, as it relates to legislative efforts, economic backing and public health issues. It also seeks to examine motivations for engaging in undermining activities.

Sex Panic And The Welfare State, Benjamin Shepard

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

2006 marked the tenth anniversary of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act. The 1996 law was the culmination of decades of erosion in backing for basic provisions of the U.S. social safety net. The following reviews the political campaign that undermined thefoundationfor this vital component of the New Deal/Great Society income supports. A series of panics diminished approval for the welfare state, leading to the 1996 "reform." Panic discourse increasingly accompanies policy debate. Examples of anti welfare, anti outsider panic discourses are explored.

Review Of Culture, Capitalism And Democracy In The New America. Richard Harvey Brown. Reviewed By Shanti S. Khinduka., Shanti K. Khinduka

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Richard Harvey Brown, Culture, Capitalism, and Democracy in the New America. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2005. $37.50 hardcover.

Review Of Work And The Workplace: A Resource For Innovative Policy And Practice. Sheila H. Akabas And Paul A. Kurzman. Reviewed By Michalle Mor Barak., Michalle Mor Barak

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review for Sheila H. Akabas, Ph.D. and Paul A. Kurzman, Work and the Workplace: A Resource for Innovative Policy and Practice. New York: Columbia University Press, 2004. $ 49.50 hardcover.

Review Of Tending The Gardens Of Citizenship: Child Saving In Toronto 1880s-1920s. Xiaobei Chen. Reviewed By John M. Herrick., John M. Herrick

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Xiaobei Chen, Tending the Gardens of Citizenship: Child Saving in Toronto 1880s-1920s. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2005. $50.00 hardcover.

Review Of Managing Diversity: Towards A Globally Inclusive Workplace. Michalle Mor Barak. Reviewed By Susan J. Lambert., Susan J. Lambert

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Michelle Mor Barak, Managing Diversity: Towards a Globally Inclusive Workplace, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2005. $49.95 papercover.

Good Parents Or Good Workers: How Policy Shapes Families' Daily Lives. Jill Duerr Berrick And Bruce Fuller (Eds.)., Mellissa Martin-Mollard

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for J. Duerr Berrick and Bruce Fuller (Eds.), Good Parents or Good Workers: How Policy Shapes Families' Daily Lives. New York: Palgrave, 2005. $39.95 hardcover.

Backlash Against Welfare Mothers Past And Present. Ellen Reese, Allison De Marco

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Ellen Reese, Backlash Against Welfare Mothers Past and Present. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2005. $ 19.95 papercover.

Thriving In The Wake Of Trauma: A Multicultural Guide. Thema Bryant-Davis., Rose M. Barreto

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Thema Bryant-Davis. Thriving in the Wake of Trauma: A Multicultural Guide. Westport, CT: Praeger, 2005. $39.95 hardcover.

Explaining Bureaucratic Optimism: Theory And Evidence From U.S. Executive Agency Macroeconomic Forecasts, George A. Krause, Kevin Corder

Political Science Faculty Publications

We offer a theory of intertemporal bureaucratic decision making which proposes that an agency’s forecast optimism is related to the extent to which it discounts future reputation costs associated with bureaucratic incompetence. Agency forecasts of the distant future are more likely to be optimistic than short-term forecasts. We claim that unstable organizations will discount reputation costs at a steeper rate than stable organizations, and therefore will produce more optimistic forecasts. We test our theory using macroeconomic forecasts produced by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Social Security Administration (SSA) across six forecast horizons from 1979 to 2003. …

110- Geophysical And Archaeological Survey Of Lake Bluff Park, St. Joseph, Michigan, Michael Nassaney, William Sauck

Reports of Investigations

Geophysical and archaeological surveys were conducted in a segment of Lake Bluff Park immediately west of Lake Boulevard in St. Joseph, Michigan during Fall 2005. The surveys were conducted because background research had indicated the potential for archaeological remains in the project area, particularly the construction of Fort Miami in the vicinity in 1679 and encounters with human burials along the bluff edge in the nineteenth century. The City of St. Joseph requested the survey to avoid disturbing potentially significant subsurface remains during excavations to replace utility lines beneath Lake Boulevard.

Sixteen geophysical blocks were surveyed, comprising approximately 35% of …

Digitization Projects And Metadata, Sheila A. Bair, Pam Cowart

University Libraries Faculty & Staff Publications

This introduction to a special issue of Against the Grain on digitization projects and metadata planning includes a brief definition and introduction to metadata.

Silenced Voices And Structured Survival: Battered Women's Help-Seeking, Angela M. Moe

Sociology Faculty Publications

Despite social and governmental responses to battering, many women continue to feel entrapped in abusive relationships. Using standpoint epistemology, this article examines the various aspects of help seeking, and the social and institutional responses to such efforts, through the narratives of 19 women in a domestic violence shelter. The findings are discussed with reference to Ptacek’s social entrapment perspective and Gondolf and Fisher’s survivor hypothesis, illustrating the socioeconomic and political context of the control tactics utilized by abusers and the structural impediments to battered women’s successful help seeking.

Globalization And International Development: Critical Issues Of The 21st Century 2007-08, Department Of Economics

Werner Sichel Lecture Series

The 2007/2008 Werner Sichel Economic Lecture Seminar Series features six outstanding economists whose presentations will focus on the challenges and opportunities of globalization and international development. All presentations are free and open to the public. Globalization is primarily an economic phenomenon, but it has socio-cultural and political dimensions that significantly impact human welfare and development. The series' speakers will address various dimensions of globalization including poverty, foreign aid, global justice, global financial flows, and patent and knowledge spillovers to developing countries. In addition to a public lecture, each guest scholar will present an academic seminar for economics faculty and graduate …

Exploring The Literature On Relationships Between Gender Roles, Intimate Partner Violence, Occupational Status, And Organizational Benefits, Eileen Kwesiga, Myrtle P. Bell, Marshall Pattie, Angela M. Moe

Sociology Faculty Publications

Studies of intimate partner violence (IPV) and work have been primarily conducted with women in low-wage low-status (LWLS) positions, as much of this research has focused on poverty, welfare, and homelessness. Although women in LWLS positions represent a large percentage of working women in the United States, it is also important to investigate experiences of women in high-wage high-status (HWHS) positions because a growing number of women are employed within such jobs. We propose gender role theory can be used to explain occurrences of IPV among women in HWHS positions and their utilization of organizational benefits. We suggest those in …

The Domestic Violence Experiences Of Women In Community Corrections, Rachel Bridges Whaley, Angela M. Moe, Mark Eddy, Jean Daugherty

Sociology Faculty Publications

A variety of studies indicate high rates of domestic violence in the backgrounds of women offenders. We examine and extend this work through a qualitative study of women on probation or parole in a western U.S. county. In-depth interviews were conducted with 14 women who participated in a larger study in which only questionnaire data were collected. Participants completed a brief telephone interview about prior experiences of partner violence and then a face-to-face extensive in-person interview. In the analyses, several notable themes emerged regarding the women’s histories of child victimization, partner abuse, substance abuse, coercion into crime, and a lack …

Participant/Observer Vol. 1. No. 1 Winter 2007, Anthropology Department

Participant/Observer

A Newsletter for Friends of the Western Michigan University Department of Anthropology

Table of Contents:

• Violence in Kenya is topic of Anthropologist’s Research
• Letter from the Chair
• Meet the Newest Member of the Anthropology Department: Kristina Wirtz
• WMU Archaeology Students Excavate at Fort St. Joseph During Field School
• Questions for a Faculty Member. . . Dr. Robert Anemone
• Archaeology Grad Student Works in Bolivia
• Anthropology Students Make Energy Headlines
• The Development of a Web-Based, Role-Playing Simulation
• In The Spotlight: Vin Lyon-Callo
• Anthropologist is Fulbright Scholar
• Department News

Social Theory & Its Relation To Social Problems: An Essay About Theory And Research With Social Justice In Mind, Richard K. Caputo

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This essay examines the relationship between social theory and social problems, the truth-value of theories, and the importance of theorizing about the role of the state, i.e., national government, in the resolution of social problems and the achievement of social justice. The author argues that much contemporary social theory has lost its moorings in regard to amelioration ofsocial problems, that Popper's criterion offalsification is a requisitefor more meaningfully applied social theory, and that the state should be part of any social theory meant to address social problems. Moral and political philosophy is used to provide criteria to justify a positive …

Self-Management: Saving One Western Student At A Time, Courtney L. Fox

Honors Theses

No abstract available.

Engaging The Masses: Library Instruction With Large Undergraduate Classes, Patricia Fravel Vander Meer, Maria A. Perez-Stable, Donna M. Ring

University Libraries Faculty & Staff Publications

This article discusses challenges in teaching library instruction to large classes and identifies practical ways librarians can use to engage large undergraduate classes in a single session. The authors searched the literature, examined related instructional services web pages, and solicited feedback from instructional academic librarians. Various instructional techniques and activities are described. Discussion also includes areas such as classroom management, technology, risk-taking, and assessment.

Economic Mobility Of Single Mothers: The Role Of Assets And Human Capital Development, Min Zhan

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study examines the economic mobility of single mothers. It highlights the relationships between single mothers' financial assets and human capital development (educational advancement, job training, and work hours) with their economic mobility. Analysis of data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY79) indicates that assets may help improve upward economic mobility. Assets, however, have differential impact on single mothers with different income levels. In addition, human capital development mediates the positive link between assets and the economic mobility for mothers living between the 100% and 200% federal poverty. These results support asset building as an investment strategy to …

Foster Parents' Reasons For Fostering And Foster Family Utilization, Kathryn Rhodes, Mary Ellen Cox, John G. Orme, Tanya Coakley

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Better utilization of foster families might be linked to parents' reasons for fostering. This study used data from the National Survey of Current and Former Foster Parents to examine relationships between reasons for fostering and types of services and length of service foster parents provide. Top reasons for fostering were child-centered. The least endorsed reasons were self-oriented. Those who fostered to help children with special problems were more likely to have a child placed, had more children, and had fostered more types of special needs children. Parents who fostered because their children were grown were more likely to have a …

Review Of The Rise And Fall Of Hmos: An American Health Care Revolution. Jan Gregoire Coombs. Reviewed By Lisa S. Patchner., Lisa S. Patchner

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Jan Gregoire Coombs, The Rise and Fall of HMOs: An American Health Care Revolution. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press, 2005. $35.00 hardcover.

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Contents Of Volume Xxxiii - 2006

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

No abstract provided.

The Analysis Of Ceramic Symbolism From The First Street Site In Barbados, Aya Hashimoto

Masters Theses

The expression of race and racism in material culture is of increasing interest in historical archaeology ( e.g., Epperson 1990, 1999, 2000; Mullins 1996, 1999). This study investigates 6 ceramic sherds from one vessel associated with a white urban domestic site on First Street, in Holetown Barbados. This vessel conveys a racist message. A black slave in a loincloth serving tea to a white person is transfer printed on the ceramic. The ceramic seems to be an annular designed pearlware from England in the first half of the 19^th century.

By interpreting the meanings of the ceramic decoration, this …