Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Power In Numbers? The Impact Of Female Formed Police Units On Women’S Empowerment, Laura Huber

Honors Theses

Advocates hailed the deployment of female formed police units (FFPUs), or all-female units, as part of UN peacekeeping missions as a groundbreaking achievement for women's empowerment. Three FFPUs have been deployed to Liberia, Timor-Leste, and Haiti. Supporters of FFPUs claim that female police are better peacekeepers, less prone to violence, and more responsive to sexual and gender based-violence. Furthermore, FFPUs are expected to act as role models, challenge gender stereotypes, and encourage local women to participate in the security sector. However, little systematic research has been conducted to evaluate these proposed beneficial impacts of FFPUs. Using feminist discourse analysis and …

Auditory Information In The Form Of A Scratching Sound Enhances The Effects Of The Rubber Hand Illusion, Bridget O'Mera

Honors Theses

The body schema describes an internal representation of the body in space, and is generated from a number of different sense modalities such as vision and proprioception. Botvinick and Cohen's rubber hand illusion (1998) demonstrates the relative contributions of vision, tactile perception and proprioception to body awareness. In this illusion, a participant's real hand is concealed from view and a prosthetic rubber hand is seen in its place. An experimenter simultaneously administers tactile stimulation to both the seen rubber hand and participant's actual hidden hand. The combination of this visual and tactile information overrides proprioceptive cues to body perception, creating …

Census Data For Gis And Planning Professionals, Charles Rynerson

Publications, Reports and Presentations

This presentation discusses accessing census data, understanding census data and cautionary tales.

الخصخصة في الإسلام… رؤية اقتصادية, خولة رشيج حسن

Muthanna Journal of Administrative and Economics Sciences

الملخص يعد موضوع الخصخصة من المواضيع المهمة التي أخذت أهميتها بالتزايد في الآونة الأخيرة نظرا لارتباط هذا الموضوع بالأزمات الاقتصادية التي تتعرض لها البلدان المختلفة والإصلاح الاقتصادي الذي يترتب عليها. ويرتبط موضوع الخصخصة بالدور الاقتصادي للدولة وبالتالي النظام الاقتصادي المتبع، اذ أن إحداث تطور في الاتجاهات الدولية نحو هذا النظام او ذاك وبالتالي تطور في اتجاه الدولة يحتم على الخصخصة أن تكون تطور طبيعي يتبع ذلك التغيير وهذا مغاير لما هو عليه في النظام الاقتصادي الإسلامي، إذ أن دور الدولة وما يرتبط به من أمور يحددها الخالق في القران وكذلك السنة الشريفة. وعلى ذلك وطبقا لهذه التعاليم القرآنية والسنة النبوية …

تأثير الانهيار على مستوى الالتزام التنظيمي دراسة مقارنة بين كليتي الادارة والاقتصاد والمستقبل الجامعة في بابل, زينب عبد الرزاق عبود

Muthanna Journal of Administrative and Economics Sciences

يهدف هذا البحث الى دراسة العلاقة التأثيرية بين كل من الانهيار والالتزام التنظيمي وقد تم إجراء دراسة مقارنة بين كلية الإدارة والاقتصاد / جامعة بابل وكلية المستقبل الجامعة / بابل لمعرفة التباين بين إجابات عينة البحث التي تم اختيارها بشكل عشوائي وبعد أن تم توزيع (50) استمارة استبيان تم تصميمها من قبل الباحث على التدريسيات والتدريسيين في كلتا الكليتين وتحليل البيانات اتضح لنا ان هناك تفاوت في نسبة تاثير الانهيار على مستوى التزام الفرد بين الكليتين نتيجة لاختلاف ظروف ومناخ العمل بينهما و انخفاض مستوى الولاء والانتماء لدى عينة بحث كلية المستقبل تجاه منظمتهم بسبب ضعف وسائل التعزيز المستخدمة من …

Use Of Task Clarification, Feedback, And Recognition To Increase Desired Behaviors Within An Organization’S Permit To Work System - Analysis Of Data Previously Collected As An Organizational Consultant, Tarek Abousaleh

Dissertations

The term ‘culture’ can be used to describe both a ‘social culture’ and a ‘work culture’. A social culture can be defined behaviorally as a pattern of overt and covert behaviors that are consequated by the verbal community and the contingency specifying rules that facilitate behavior independent of any first hand experience. It is this community that defines which behaviors are reinforced, extinguished, or punished. Similarly, a work culture can be defined as a pattern of overt and covert behaviors that are consequated by the work community (leadership, employees, self, etc.) and the contingency specifying rules that facilitate behavior/performance independent …

Impulsive Choice In Unmedicated And Medicated Children Diagnosed With Adhd: Examining The Variables Of Reward Type And Adhd Subtype, Nicole Henriksen

Dissertations

Developmentally inappropriate and impairing impulsive behaviors are often seen in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). One method for objectively assessing impulsivity is the Choice-Delay Task (C-DT) which presents repeated opportunities to choose between a smaller, sooner (SS) or larger, later (LL) reward. A preference for the SS reward that results in less total reward is considered impulsive. Many studies have found that participants diagnosed with ADHD choose the SS reward more than typical controls. However, less is known about the effects of different types of rewards, or the comparative performance of certain subgroups, such as children diagnosed with ADHD Predominantly Inattentive Type …

A Study On Generic Prescription Substitution Policy As A Cost Containment Approach For Michigan’S Medicaid System, Khandaker Nayeemul Islam

Dissertations

Increasing health care costs have made management of Medicaid services to provide low-income families through Medicaid programs critical in the recent times. The number of Medicaid beneficiaries in Michigan has increased over the years mainly due to the downsizing of auto sectors. Currently, states spend almost 16% of their budget for Medicaid, making it the second largest item in the budget for most (Kaiser Foundation, 2010). Prescription drugs are a significant part of Michigan’s Medicaid costs. Higher costs caused a tremendous fiscal burden on Michigan in administering the program and providing prescription drugs for its patients. Michigan has implemented several …

The Growing Women’S Political Activism In Africa 1990-2010: An Explanatory Analysis Of Institutions And Contexts, Sylivia Juta

Dissertations

Women all over the world face significant social, cultural, political, and economic barriers that prevent them from obtaining leadership positions. Africa is no exception. However, in the past four decades, Africa has shown a remarkable increase in the number of women gaining political leadership positions, in particular as representatives in parliaments. Due to this remarkable increase in the number of women in parliament in africa, there is a dearth of literature exploring this phenomenon more systematically. Most studies on women’s representation focus on the context of developed countries. The few studies on the African continent are mostly single case studies …

Using Multi-Objective Value Estimation To Support Predictive Analytics For Human Service Project Management, David D. Wingard

Dissertations

Human service organizations need outcome measurement approaches that support project management for efficiency and effectiveness. While, in recent years, human services have increased their capacity to manage data and measure outcomes empirically, several barriers remain. First, current outcome measurement practices are not designed to effectively support the management of human services programs for maximum efficiency and effectiveness. Second, human services organizations need a methodology to manage programs to identified outcomes. This dissertation explored meaningful solutions to both issues. In Paper 1 (Chapter II), this dissertation assessed strengths and limitations of current outcome evaluation approaches and suggested an innovative application of …

Harnessing Complexity: Analysis Methodology And Ethical Framework To Facilitate Utilization Of Video Data In Evaluations, Kurt A. Wilson

Dissertations

Most evaluations in the nonprofit and international development sectors are conducted in contexts of complexity; the specific intervention being evaluated is but one of many interrelated factors influencing the desired outcome. Video data, especially when directly generated by program participants, can provide both exceptionally rich qualitative data as well as contextually-relevant feedback within complex systems. Despite these unique strengths and opportunities, video data is underutilized in the field of evaluation. This dissertation addresses specific barriers associated with video data through three inter-related papers: Papers one and two (Chapters II and III) present the findings from two interrelated studies of an …

Looking For Mr. Right Or Mr. Right-Now: A Content Analysis Of Gay Men’S Personals, Matt Reid

Masters Theses

Personal advertisements have long been valued by researchers for evaluating norms relating to love and romance in any given societal context. Using thematic, directed content analysis on ads placed on a popular online dating website, this exploratory study seeks to uncover the various ways by which gay and straight men craft an image of the ideal self.

Results largely diverge from previous studies, most of which were conducted prior to the advent of online dating and at a time in a society where homosexuality was more taboo. The current study found that gay men, more often than straight men, employ …

Enrichment Dinner Remarks, Delivered In April 2014, Arend D. Lubbers

Presidential Speeches

Enrichment Dinner Remarks, delivered in April 2014 by Arend D. Lubbers, who served as President of Grand Valley from 1969-2001.

Beyond Basic Needs: Social Support And Structure For Successful Offender Reentry, Andrew S. Denney, Richard Tewksbury, Richard S. Jones

Social and Cultural Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Barriers to successful reentry have long been identified as impeding an offender’s ability to successfully reenter society upon release from incarceration. As a result, research has long examined what shared obstacles the majority of offenders often face upon reentering society. Much of the research identifies factors such as poor education, obtaining/maintaining employment, stable housing, and transportation as common barriers to successful reentry. By using in-depth interviews with ex-offenders deemed as successful that were conducted by two respective non-profit agencies, the present study explores what significant requirements, if any, successful offenders perceive to need and/or have experienced as lacking while attempting …

Exploring Marx And Gnosticism: Is Eric Voegelin's Assertion That Marx Is A Modern-Day Gnostic Justifiable?, Briana D. Perez

Honors Program Theses and Research Projects

In this paper, I will discuss the connection Eric Voegelin, the 20e century political philosopher, made between the philosophy of Karl Marx and Gnosticism. Voegelin asserted that Gnosticism, though usually connected with a medieval Christian heresy, has retained its potency through history and into the modern era. In his attempt to connect the ideas of Gnosticism to the modern world in the form of all encompassing 2Oth century political ideologies, Voegelin criticizes thinkers like Marx for creating "second-realities," or utopian frameworks that are ultimately incompatible with reality. Because of Marx's strong and well-known, rejection of religion, this is by no …

Gender And Personality Influence Video Gamers, Hannah Marie Redwine

Honors Program Theses and Research Projects

Video game preference, avatar similarity, and problem video game playing were examined to investigate potential relationships with gender and personality. Previous research (Elliott, Ream, McGinsky & Dunlap, 2012) focused on adolescents, however, the current study focuses on adults 18 years of age and older. Undergraduate students of St. Mary's University (N=15) and 2013 WorldCon attendees (N=32) were surveyed using an online survey that utilized the Ten-Item Personality Inventory (TIPI; Gosling, Rentfrow & Swann Jr., 2003), the Problem Video Game Playing measure (PVP; Salguero & Moran, 2002), demographic questions, and other measures. Avatar similarity and best avatar use were found to …

The Religious Conditions Of The Jewish People In The Georgia Region During The First Quarter Of The Twentieth Century (During The Period Of The Soviet Repression), Giorgi Sosiashvili

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

This paper analyzes the condition of Judaism and of the Jewish people in the first quarter of the 20th century after Soviet authority was established in Georgia. The Bolsheviks annexed the independent democratic republic. Russian violence was not only political. The new authority expressed unprecedented aggression towards different religious confessions in the country. Among the persecuted confessions were also representatives of the Georgian Orthodox Church. The Bolsheviks expropriated chapels from Jews living in Kareli, Surami, and Gori. It is a well-known fact that the Jews had lived in Shida Kartli for a long time. In 19th and 20th centuries 400 …

From Genocide To Dialogue Christian-Muslim Relations In The Former Yugoslavia, Paul Mojzes

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

Extremely complex historical circumstances and modern political manipulations have caused in the Balkans three major waves of genocides during the twentieth century. The conflicts were so varied and widespread that it will not be possible to provide an adequate overview in this paper. The first one took place during the I and II Balkan Wars in 1912-1913, in which genocides occurred in the effort of four allied countries (Bulgaria, Greece, Montenegro, and Serbia) to liberate themselves from the Ottoman Empire. Then the second war broke out leading to genocidal ethnic cleansing as the embattled nations of the Balkans attempted to …

Assessing Scope 3 Emissions Within A University Department: Using A Life Cycle Assessment And Supply Chain Case Studies, Celia Landesberg, Erin Brady

Geography and the Environment Capstone Projects

The purpose of this project is to identify opportunities to reduce Scope 3 emissions associated with University operations. While the scope of this report is limited, analysis of the department case study and the two selected products suggest the University should conduct a larger, more comprehensive supply chain assessment in the future to identify methods for emissions and cost reductions from altered purchasing practices. By sharing the information from this report, we hope to encourage the University to pursue more sustainable consumption practices.

Poster prepared for the Environmental Studies Senior Seminar/Geography Capstone.

Rainwater Harvesting System: Proposal For A Pilot Rainwater Harvesting System Installment At Booker Hall, Diana Alderbashi, Joel Collins, Jack Wilkes

Geography and the Environment Capstone Projects

Fresh water is expected to become increasingly scarce as temperature and sea levels rise due to Global Climate Change. We believe now is the time to start rethinking our behaviors in terms of water use and start conserving water even if it is on a small scale. One of the best ways to conserve water at a university level is to install small scale rainwater harvesting system for irrigation. We propose for the University of Richmond to utilize Booker Hall to collect rainwater using ten 200 gallon rain barrels. The water will be used to irrigate flowerbeds around campus. The …

Climate Change And The Westhampton Lake: Review And Recommendations, Kendel Ahnell, Yazmeen Nuñez, Natasha Rathlev

Geography and the Environment Capstone Projects

The Westhampton Lake is a campus icon and one of the University of Richmond's most prominent features. The significant attachment that members of the University community hold toward the lake imbues great value on the lake as a key geographic element of campus (Devine-Wright, 2013). However, the lake’s status as a campus monument does not absolve it from the greater effects of climate change, a phenomenon which will continue to transform the geography and ecology of the lake. Without a concrete understanding of the implications of current and future climate change on campus, the community may leave the Westhampton Lake …

An Unexpected Threat: How A Short Stretch Of The Northern New York Border With Canada Could Provide A New Avenue For Terrorist Attacks, Zachary Myers

Senior Honors Theses

Al Qaeda and many other terrorist groups have openly stated their intentions to acquire and use some form of nuclear device in an attack on the United States. As many recent terrorist attacks have demonstrated, terrorists will attempt to exploit any weakness in the line of defense in order to execute their stated intentions. The northern border area on and around the Saint Regis Mohawk Reservation in Northeastern New York and Canada has been an ongoing smuggling conduit and national security vulnerability. This paper will examine how this area could be exploited in order to smuggle a type of nuclear …

Maine Crime & Justice Data Book 2014, George Shaler Mph

Justice Policy

The 2014 Maine Crime and Justice Data Book presents a portrait of crime and justice indicators in the state, using the most recent public safety, corrections, and court data available for Maine. The reports looks at ten year trends in Maine, compares Maine figures with data from other northern New England states and the United States, and presents some county level findings as well.

Leadership Department Newsletter - April 2014, Andrews University

Leadership Department Newsletter 2014

No abstract provided.

Super Pacs 2012, Joseph Miller

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

The 2010 Supreme Court ruling in the case of the Citizens United vs the Federal Election Commision dramatically changed how elections are financed in the United States. That landmark case let to the creation of Super Political Action Committees (Super PACs). These organizations have the ability to raise limitless amounts of money and spend thses funds however they see fit on candidtaes of their choosing.

This case study will test six hypotheses. These hypotheses deal with two major actions. The first action is the conduct of Super PACs and the manner in which they went about choosing races to involve …

Broadband Policy In Maine: The Efficacy Of The Current Approach And A Vision Of The Future, Ethan Wiley

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

Today in Maine anemic internet speeds reinforce a digital divide between rural and urban areas. Even where adequate connectivity is possible its adoption rate lags behind. In order to overcome this technical solutions are necessary such as streamlining access and building capacity. It will require additional incentives to bring levels to an ideal state as well as public enlightenment to the increasingly vital role that broadband performs. Until this happens the deficit that the state faces in access and adoption will continue to hamper progress in business, health, education and other arenas.

Maine Child Welfare Ncands Data: An Available Tool In Efforts To Reduce Child Maltreatment, Leah A. Bruns

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

By not developing programming interventions in recognition of these evidence supported predictive variables, we risk the inevitable continuation of rising child abuse rates and fatalities. The importance of accurate Child Welfare Data cannot be underscored, if we can predict with great accuracy which children will likely be victimized, then we should be able to design targeted abuse prevention programs that will have a greater impact. In light of this research this capstone attempts to better understand child maltreatment, recurrence, and the current 4 child welfare service structure in Maine.

A Vision For Berwick: A Case Study Of The Citizen Initiated Visioning Process For Downtown Redevelopment In Southern Maine, John Stoll

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

This Capstone follows the downtown redevelopment visioning process in Berwick from the initial presentation to Town Officials up until formal adoption as an addendum to the Comprehensive Plan. Berwick has a monumental task ahead of it as the Town looks to redevelop an 11 acre abandoned factory site that is located directly where a downtown should be. Residents of Berwick had to work with Town Staff to navigate a considerable amount of lingering controversy and to rebuild trust between the public and local government. Members of the Downtown Vision Committee worked tirelessly to reach out to the community through education …

A Comparison Of A Value-Added Status Model Versus A Value-Added Growth Model For Identifying High Performing Maine Middle Schools, Ida A. Batista

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

This study focuses on the model developed for funding purposes since it is a high stake identification and has been the consistent method used for funding purposes within the state for at least the last ten years. The purpose of this study is to explore identification of higher performing Maine middle schools (grade 6 – grade 8) using student longitudinal data in a growth model evaluating growth versus the current value-added model of identification.

In Their Own Words: Healing From Traumatic Childbirth, Jennifer L. Brammer

Masters Theses

Trauma related to childbirth is seldom addressed despite the incidence of women who experience traumatic births. Birth trauma, like other traumatic events, can have a lasting impact on women and can effect their attachment to their infants. This study gives voice to women's birth trauma and describes what women find helpful in their healing processes from traumatic birth. This study is based on the narratives of 14 women who graciously shared their birth stories and healing journeys in semi-structured qualitative interviews. Their traumatic birth experiences occurred 3 ½ to 26 years ago.

A post-positivist approach and narrative theory informed this …