Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Creed Vs. Deed: Secession, Legitimacy, And The Use Of Child Soldiers, Trace C. Lasley

Theses and Dissertations--Political Science

The use of child soldiers has troubled human rights activists, policy-makers, and local communities for decades. Although rebellions around the world routinely use children in their activities, many do not. Despite its overwhelming importance for conflict resolution, the topic of child soldiers remains understudied. My research blends classic rational choice and constructivist themes to develop an explanation for when child soldiers will be used, and when they will be avoided.

The likelihood of child recruitment is influenced by the value of international opinion; this is determined by the groups' long-term goals. Secessionist rebellions desire to have their own state. However, …

Coups And Conflict: The Paradox Of Coup-Proofing, Jonathan M. Powell

Theses and Dissertations--Political Science

This study develops a leader-centric theory of civil-military relations that expands upon three broad areas of research. Specifically, the study suggests that leaders will evaluate multiple threats to their political survival and will ultimately implement strategy that is most likely to keep them in power. While Downs (1957) has noted such a tendency in democracies, this study expands this rationale to authoritarian regimes by focusing on the primary means of authoritarian removal: the military coup. In contrast to the state-centric nature of traditional international relations theory, this dissertation finds that leaders frequently undermine the power of the state in order …

The Ethics Of Lobbying: Testing An Ethical Framework For Advocacy In Public Relations, Kati Tusinski Berg

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

This study evaluates the ethical criteria lobbyists consider in their professional activities using Ruth Edgett’s model for ethically-desirable public relations advocacy. Data were collected from self-administered surveys of 222 registered lobbyists in Oregon. A factor analysis reduced 18 ethical criteria to seven underlying factors describing lobbyists’ ethical approaches to their work. Results indicate that lobbyists consider the following factors in their day-to-day professional activities: situation, strategy, argument, procedure, nature of lobbying, priority, and accuracy. This framework, derived from Edgett’s 10 criteria, illustrates the importance of context while incorporating ideas from recognized ethical theories.

Editors' Introduction: Revisiting William J. Wilson's The Declining Significance Of Race, Richard K. Caputo, Luisa S. Deprez

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The election of Barack Obama as President of the United States in November of 2008 prompted the co-editors of this special issue to organize a panel discussion revisiting William Julius Wilson's thesis about race and class in America at the annual meeting of the Society for the Study of Social Problems (SSSP) in 2009. Later that same day at the Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare's (JSSW) editorial board meeting, we recommended that JSSW consider a special issue entitled "The Declining Significance or Race-Revisited" devoted to the thesis Wilson advanced in his now-classic The Declining Significance of Race.

Linking Risk Messages To Information Seeking And Processing, Robert J. Griffin, Sharon Dunwoody, Z. Janet Yang

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Opening A Can Of Worms: African American Therapists' Attitudes About Broaching Race With White Clients, Michelle Gavel

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Broaching attitudes and factors affecting the decision to broach race in African American therapists are examined using a survey and interview design. Broaching involves addressing racial differences in therapy sessions with clients, and is recommended in counseling-training literature for White therapists when working with clients of color. Given the lack of guidelines for therapists of color working with White clients, this study examined the broaching attitudes of African American therapists working with White clients. This study found that the decision to broach race in the Black therapist/White client dyad is complex. Many factors involving the therapists' comfort, therapists' self-awareness, clients' …

Development Of Resource Description And Access (Rda): The New Cataloging Standard, Shahrzad Khosrowpour

Library Articles and Research

Resource Description and Access (RDA) is a new standard for describing and accessing information specifically designed for the digital environment. It is a shift from Anglo American Cataloging Rules, AACR2 and it aims to provide a more user friendly service to library users in locating information in the library online catalogs. It is also targeting to facilitate a cataloging standard which can be shared globally and be edited simultaneously by the catalogers and other users when needed. There are similarities as well as differences between these two cataloging standards.Since the development of RDA started in 2005, there has been a …

Reflections And The Narrative Turn In Social Work, Benjamin C. Shepard

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Changing Soldiers Lives Forever, Scott Blanck

A with Honors Projects

This is a research paper on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and its affects on soldiers.

Addressing Academic Integrity: Perspectives From Virginia Commonwealth University In Qatar, Nancy E. Fawley

Library Faculty Research

Understanding the cultural aspects that affect a student’s ability to appropriately use resources is important in developing outreach and instruction in multicultural settings. Differences in educational philosophies, students’ previous scholastic training and cultural differences in individual motivation are all factors that may affect a freshman’s ability to understand an American university’s idea of academic integrity and can inadvertently cause problems where independent work and critical thinking are required. At Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar (VCU Qatar), a branch campus of the American university in the Middle East, a special class on academic integrity and ethical behavior was integrated into the …

The Sociological Impact Of Cancer: Cancer Among The World, Jenna Kooy

A with Honors Projects

Cancer among ethnic groups and in high income/low income regions.

This Paper Is Only Skin Deep: The Socio-Cultural And Biological Reality Of Human Variation, Paige Jamieson

A with Honors Projects

This project is an anthropological study of human variation and "race".

Kenny Family Genogram, Ciara Reilly

A with Honors Projects

A genogram of my family ans a paper explaining the poster.

Alpha Phi Omega Section 50 Conference, Katherine Klindworth

A with Honors Projects

The following is an assessment of my work as Conference Chair of the Alpha Phi Omega Section 50 Fall conference hosted by the Alpha Zeta Omega chapter right here at Parkland College. In addition to a reflection on the conference I have included photos from the event and the handout provided to conference attendees.

The Counterculture Movement, Hannah Fink

A with Honors Projects

This project includes a paper of counterculture and a concert poster from the 1960's.

Cures For Procrastination In College Students, Ashley-Tate Hollis

A with Honors Projects

This project examines some cures for procrastination in college students.

Speaking Up For The Little Ones: Enforcing Children's Rights, Rebecca Davis

A with Honors Projects

Augmented final research project including additional sources and an analysis of varying international perspectives.

Sociological Impact On Cancer, Michelle Little

A with Honors Projects

Demographics of cancer and other sociological impacts on cancer.

Environmentalism/Postmodernism, Toby Ogunniya

A with Honors Projects

This presentation explores the meaning of environmentalism and postmodernism in a political science context.

The Fourth Amendment, Ethan Payne

A with Honors Projects

This projects explains the fourth amendment using skits and a PowerPoint presentation.

Reproductive Health Bill In The Philippines: Sources Of Conflict Between The Church And Its Proponents, Rito Baring

SDRC Publications

No abstract provided.

Gesture Use By Free-Living Chimpanzees (Pan Troglodytes) Related To Partner Attentional State, Glee Larsen

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Both in the wild and in captivity, chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) use gesture to communicate with each other. The three modalities of gesture that chimpanzees use are auditory, tactile, and visual. Captive chimpanzees use gesture modalities appropriately according to the communicative partner's attentional state. A communicative partner is the target of the communicator's actions. A partner may be either paying attention (attending) or not paying attention (inattentive) to the chimpanzee who is attempting to communicate with them. The present study investigated whether a free-living population of chimpanzees use gesture modality appropriately to the partner's attentional state. Visual gestures depend …

Does Faculty Tenure Improve Student Graduation Rates?, G. Thomas Sav

Economics Faculty Publications

The primary objective of this paper is to determine whether tenure in comparison to non-tenure faculty employment is efficient in producing the academic success of university students. A stochastic production frontier is estimated for university graduation rates while the inefficiency specification includes measures of tenured, tenure-track, and non-tenure track faculty employment. Using panel data for U.S. doctoral and master level public universities, the evidence indicates that the employment status does matter and that increases in the pro- portion of tenured faculty employment lead to efficiency gains in graduation rates. Effects of tenure-track and non-tenure track faculty are somewhat mixed with …

Truly Accomplished: Effectiveness Of A Measurement And Feedback Approach To Lifestyle Change, Natalie Wright Dixon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Individuals’ personal improvement efforts are pervasive and the benefits associated with successful self-improvement are both tangible (e.g., healthier lifestyles, more intimate relationships) and intangible (e.g., personal accomplishment, enhanced well-being). As evidenced by research on work-family spillover, self-improvement also has important implications for organizations, as there is considerable crossover between work and non-work domains. The current study tested the effectiveness of Truly Accomplished, an intervention designed to help individuals develop personalized systems for measuring and improving behavior, and examined the extent to which the outcomes associated with such behavior change exhibit positive spillover effects into the workplace. Participants (N = 44) …

The Impact Of Individual Perceptions Of The Fairness Of Public Affirmative Action Policy Statements On Attitudes Toward The Organization, Joseph Zaragoza

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research project was to explore differences in perceptions of organizational justice and related attitudes. Through the use of a 3 x 2 experimental design, participants were randomly assigned to groups in which they were exposed to a fictitious organization’s mock recruitment document publicizing different types of affirmative action programs and varying levels of information regarding the mechanics of such programs. Results did not demonstrate statistically significant differences across groups. Project implications, limitations, and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Creating A Communication Style-Flex Workforce Through The Interview Process, Alison Lauren Costello

Communication Studies

No abstract provided.

The Cranky Copy Editor, Eli Klyde

Journalism & Media Studies Faculty Publications

This is an archived copy of the blog The Cranky Copy Editor written by Eli Klyde under the name Lynn Klyde-Silverstein from 2007 to 2012. Before teaching journalism at the University of Northern Colorado, Dr. Klyde worked as a copy editor and reporter for about eight years. The purposes of this blog were to point out specific mistakes so readers can avoid making them in the future and to examine issues that affect journalism in general.

Local Political Knowledge And Assessments Of Citizen Competence, Lee Shaker

Communication Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article contrasts the national and local political knowledge of a random sample of 993 Philadelphians with the aim of enhancing the scholarly understanding of citizen competence. Empirical study of citizen competence extends back more than fifty years, but the survey data that have been brought to bear upon the topic are almost exclusively focused on national-level politics. Consequently, sweeping conclusions about the competence of the American public rest upon a narrow foundation. The comparisons in this article depict a slew of differences in the distribution of knowledge across national and local politics, many of which challenge established notions of …

Parents And Professionals' Autism Information Environment Assessment, Information Needs And Use Of Support Services Across The Life-Span Of Individuals With Autism [Slides], Louisa Ha, Lynne Elizabeth Hewitt, Linell Weinberg

School of Media and Communication Faculty Publications

Slides from a presentation given by Louisa Ha, Lynne Hewitt, and Linell Weinberg in 2012.

Selective And (Subtle) Marketing Of Library Instruction, Mark Aaron Polger, Karen Okamoto

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.