Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Sociolinguistic Interview With Meriam: A Study On Multilingualism And Identity, Brian Kapustka

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

This study explores how a multilingual speaker—Meriam Kilden-Pedersen, a fellow COD graduate and employee—navigates her linguistic identity across a range of social contexts. Drawing on sociolinguistic theory and a recorded interview, the project analyzes Meriam’s code-switching, identity negotiation, and style-shifting between Danish, Standardized Arabic, Tunisian Arabic, French, and English. The interview reveals how emotional context, audience, and setting shape language use, offering insight into the adaptive strategies of multilingual speakers. This analysis has pedagogical implications for inclusive teaching practices that honor linguistic fluidity.

Ai-Enhanced Essay Prompt: Exploring Your Identity And Life Experiences, Victor M. Torres-Velez

Open Educational Resources

This assignment, AI-Enhanced Essay Prompt: Exploring Your Identity and Life Experiences, guides students through a reflective writing process that integrates personal narratives with academic concepts related to identity, globalization, and migration. Students will examine how their nationality, ethnicity, race, social class, and gender are shaped by larger cultural and transnational forces. The structured approach encourages students to engage with AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Grammarly) as personalized writing tutors, assisting with brainstorming, organization, clarity, and revision while maintaining their authentic voice.

The essay requires students to build upon previously submitted personal anecdotes, analyze their experiences through course readings (including works …

Cost Comparison Of Congregate, Motel, And Village-Type Shelters For People Experiencing Homelessness, Jacen Greene, Todd Ferry, Emily Leickly, Franklin H. Spurbeck

Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative Publications and Presentations

Village and motel shelters exemplify the expanding field of “alternative” shelters for people experiencing homelessness, largely defined in contrast to “traditional” congregate shelters. Little research compares the financial costs of alternative and traditional shelter models. The research team analyzed cost data for 13 alternative shelters (six villages and seven motel shelters) and nine traditional congregate shelters in Portland, Oregon. Costs were assessed per “unit” (i.e. shelter bed or motel room) to account for differences in shelter sizes. Village shelters had the highest per-unit set-up costs ($99,630), followed by motel shelters ($88,462), while congregate shelters had the lowest ($43,692). Congregate shelters …

High-Resolution Model Intercomparison Project Phase 2 (Highresmip2) Towards Cmip7, Malcolm J. Roberts, Kevin A. Reed, Qing Bao, Joseph J. Barsugli, Suzana J. Camargo, Louis Philippe Caron, Ping Chang, Cheng Ta Chen, Hannah M. Christensen, Gokhan Danabasoglu, Ivy Frenger, Neven S. Fučkar, Shabeh Ul Hasson, Helene T. Hewitt, Huanping Huang, Daehyun Kim, Chihiro Kodama, Michael Lai, Lai Yung Ruby Leung, Ryo Mizuta, Paulo Nobre, Pablo Ortega, Dominique Paquin, Christopher D. Roberts, Enrico Scoccimarro, Jon Seddon, Anne Marie Treguier, Chia Ying Tu, Paul A. Ullrich, Pier Luigi Vidale, Michael F. Wehner, Colin M. Zarzycki

Faculty Publications

Robust projections and predictions of climate variability and change, particularly at regional scales, rely on the driving processes being represented with fidelity in model simulations. Consequently, the role of enhanced horizontal resolution in improved process representation in all components of the climate system continues to be of great interest. Recent simulations suggest the possibility of significant changes in both large-scale aspects of the ocean and atmospheric circulations and in the regional responses to climate change, as well as improvements in representations of small-scale processes and extremes, when resolution is enhanced. The first phase of the High-Resolution Model Intercomparison Project (HighResMIP1) …

A Comparative Study Of Electronic And Paper Ballot Systems In Modern U.S. Elections, Gianna M. Wadowski

Open Access Master's Theses

In-person voting processes that rely on paper ballots have long dominated voting in the U.S. However, following the implementation of the Help America Vote Act in 2002, states rapidly adopted new voting technologies that dramatically changed the in-person voting experience. Since then, states have continued to adopt new voting technologies as new challenges and opportunities have emerged. Although scholarship has demonstrated that new voting technologies can offer benefits, reported improvements to the in-person voting experience are inconsistent. Despite changes in voting equipment and voting methods, voters continue to wait in long lines, affecting turnout and voter confidence. Using observational time …

Explaining The Variance In Cardiovascular Health Indicators Among Asian Americans: A Comparison Of Demographic, Socioeconomic, And Ethnicity, Lalaine Sevillano, Adrian Matias Bacong, Dale Dagar Maglalang

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

BACKGROUND

The Asian American (AA) population is the fastest-growing major racial or ethnic group in the U.S. Typically treated as a monolith in research, disaggregated data show disproportionate cardiovascular disease (CVD) burden among certain AA ethnic groups. This analysis aimed to identify which factors explain variance in cardiovascular health among AA ethnic groups.

METHODS

We analyzed pooled 2010-2018 National Health Interview Survey cross-sectional data from Chinese, Asian Indian, Filipino, and Other Asian adults in the U.S. Coronary heart disease, heart attack, and stroke were the CVD outcomes of interest. Covariates included sociodemographic characteristics, CVD-related health behaviors (e.g., smoking tobacco, physical …

A Full-Fat Remix Of Low-Fat Love Stories, Tabitha Chilton, Gioia Chilton

The Qualitative Report

Low-Fat Love Stories is a book coauthored by Patricia Leavy and Victoria Scotti. The book is a collection of short stories and visual arts based directly on women’s interview transcripts. In this article, the authors respond to Low-Fat Love Stories through text and visual art. The authors show how artistic analysis inspires personal reflection.

Predictors Of Mental Health Seeking Behaviors Among Nigerian Immigrants, Francisca Iroh-Donawa

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Understanding the mental health seeking attitudes (MHSA) of Nigerian immigrants is a social concern for psychologists as it provides valuable information for developing outreach and clinical interventions. Unfortunately, there is scant and inconclusive research addressing potential predictors of MHSA among Nigerian immigrants, thus leaving clinicians with an unclear picture in understanding and the promoting the wellbeing of this vulnerable population. To address this gap, this study utilized the theory of planned behavior and Berry’s model of acculturation to explore if acculturation (positively), length of stay in host country (positively), religious and spiritual beliefs (negatively), and gender (women higher than men) …

Kismet Meets Serendipity: A Personal Reflection On Using Patricia Leavy’S Novel Low-Fat Love To Bring Meaning To College Students, U. Melissa Anyiwo

The Qualitative Report

In this article Melissa Anyiwo writes about meeting Patricia Leavy and reading her debut novel, Low-Fat Love. She reflects on the impact this book has had on her personally, and how as a work of social fiction it resonated deeply with her own life experiences. She details using social fiction novels in undergraduate classroom settings, why she has used Low-Fat Love so many times in her courses, the lessons embedded into the novel, and the kinds of self and social reflection the novel stimulates. She references other well-known examples of popular culture in her analysis of meaning-making in Low-Fat …

Middle Age Blues: A Heuristic Response To Patricia Leavy’S Novel Film Blue, Sandra L. Faulkner

The Qualitative Report

In this personal narrative, the author discusses how good art can be a heuristic for creative practice using Leavy’s novel, Film Blue, as an example. The author uses ekphrastic poetry and themes in Film Blue to examine negotiations of identity as someone who is solidly middle aged and winging their way through how they can be who they want and need to be outside of culturally stifling messages about middle aged womxn. The author concludes that we can turn melancholy into a state of creativity. And perhaps instead of middle age being a blue period, it can be orange …

Writing Research Into Fiction, Jessica Smartt Gullion

The Qualitative Report

Qualitative methodology has evolved to include all sorts of epistemologies that positivism excludes. We have seen an increase in the use of arts-based methods as ways of gathering, analyzing, and writing research. This includes the genre of fiction as research. In fiction as research, the researcher gathers and analyzes data, but writes the findings from them to the audience as fiction. This is often done to expand the audience of readers and include people who might not normally read (or have access to) research reports. In this article, I discuss my own use of social fiction and highlight the contributions …

Patricia Leavy: Social Fiction Icon, Alexandra Lasczik

The Qualitative Report

This article explores Patricia Leavy’s social fiction novels. The article details how and why Leavy’s work has been a source of inspiration, how the development of “social fiction” broadened the arts-based research landscape, and how this works makes possible new forms of creative research. Lasczik then reviews in detail much of Leavy’s extensive fiction catalog, her use of different genres, the messages embedded in her novels, and what those novels mean to readers.

Conclusion To This Special Issue: An Autoethnographic Peek Into My Catalog, Patricia Leavy

The Qualitative Report

In the conclusion to this special issue, Patricia Leavy considers the different facets of her life and career that led her to social fiction and creative, artistic scholarship. She also shares some of the things she has learned by writing fiction.

Social Fiction: Leavy Pioneers A Genre, Christine Sleeter

The Qualitative Report

In this article Sleeter details how Patricia Leavy pioneered the genre of social fiction. She details the method and the publication of the landmark Social Fictions book series, the first and only series of its kind. Sleeter reviews a handful of Leavy’s acclaimed novels, her own fiction, and other titles in the series. She explains how and why social fiction is significant for the qualitative research community.

Patricia Leavy’S Spark As A Novel And Metaphor For Creative Interdisciplinary Research, Ashleigh Watson

The Qualitative Report

Spark by Patricia Leavy follows Sociology Professor Peyton Wilde as she travels to remote Iceland to participate in a mysterious scholarly seminar. Set in a moody grand manor with an enigmatic host and an eclectic cast of characters, the story blends intellectual intrigue with personal discovery and highlights the strength of Leavy’s social fiction: her characterisation, her use of motifs, and her attention to questions at the heart of scholarly work. This article reflects on the research tensions, interpersonal differences and everyday materialities that animate the story and raise valuable questions for interdisciplinary collaboration. For those interested in fiction and …

The Impact Of Patricia Leavy’S Sociological Fiction, J. E. Sumerau

The Qualitative Report

This article examines the impact of Patricia Leavy’s Sociological Fiction upon students, professors, and other readers. Utilizing examples from over seven years teaching and writing sociological fiction works at a private liberal arts university in the southeastern United States, I illustrate and discuss some ways Leavy’s works facilitate (1) students finding themselves and sociology as a field of study; (2) professors navigating personal and professional questions during the life course; and (3) readers, regardless of identity, navigating self-development, reflection, and sociological inquiry as a potential interest or commitment. In so doing, I suggest examples of sociological fiction by Leavy and …

Shiny New Beginnings: Reaching For Celestial Bodies In Romance And Research, Alexandra C. H. Nowakowski

The Qualitative Report

This commentary explores a series of social fiction novels about relationships through the lens of ethnographic research. It amplifies the lessons about love and life from Dr. Patricia Leavy’s Celestial Bodies series focused around two people with complex trauma finding kinship and healing with one another after a chance meeting. In the process, it uplifts the rigor and uniqueness of Leavy’s methods in translating findings from many years of observational research with people in different kinds of relationships to the social fiction format whose name she coined herself. In journeying through a shared life with main protagonists Tess Lee and …

Exploring The Strategies In Creating And Sustaining Commons : Organization, Mobilization, And Tactics In The Hong Kong Context, Ho Yin Mickey Wan

Lingnan Theses (MPhil & PhD)

After experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic, social unrest, and the migration wave in the post-2019 era, Hong Kong has undergone a rapid change in its social context. Facing the multifaceted aspects and complexities in the new context, this thesis hopes to explore the possibility of commons and commoning - a pluralistic concept that encompasses a set of principles for social practices in making a more inclusive society - to be a potential alternative, or at least a kind of hope mechanism to enhance people’s well-being amid the current predicament.

Drawing on the seminal literature of Elinor Ostrom, J. K. Gibson-Graham, and …

Digital Inequalities And U.S. Undergraduate Outcomes Over The First Two Years Of The Covid-19 Pandemic, Vikki Katz, Amy B. Jordan, Katherine Ognyanova

Communication Faculty Articles and Research

The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated major and rapid changes to undergraduate student learning conditions, but the longer-term consequences of those changes have yet to be fully understood. We assess how digital inequality—defined as challenges in accessing or maintaining a broadband internet connection and functional digital devices—affected undergraduates’ advancement toward on-time graduation over the first two years of the pandemic (2020-2022). We utilize survey data from a representative sample of 1,106 undergraduates at Rutgers University-New Brunswick, a public, 4-year university located in New Jersey, USA. Respondents were undergraduates who had been enrolled in full-time student status throughout the first two years …

Sustainable Well-Being For Young Adults: An Online Course To Build Ecological And Psychological Flourishing In A Changing Climate, Jeremy Stanley Bekker

Theses and Dissertations

Sustainable well-being is "happiness that contributes to individual, community and/or global well-being without exploiting other people, the environment or future generations" (O'Brien, 2010, p. 2). Sustainable well-being education may encourage environmentally sustainable behavior while also teaching people how to live meaningful lives. However, there is currently a lack of research-based disseminable courses for teaching sustainable well-being. We hypothesized that taking the course would result in lower eco-anxiety and higher well-being, as well as increased pro-environmental self-efficacy and pro-environmental values. We used a randomized crossover repeated measures research design to assess pre and post effects. Quantitative results indicated that participating in …

The Future Of Ai: Join The Conversation, Jennifer Wojton, Cassandra Branham, Vijay Tummala, Laxima Niure Kandel, Kayla D. Taylor

Publications

Join the Conversation! The Future is AI? There is so much conflicting information about what AI is capable of, how it could/should be used, by whom and for what purpose. In this panel discussion, we hope to provide a baseline of information that will help all participants think critically and articulate thoughtful questions about the mechanics of AI, ethical use or non-use of AI in particular contexts (school, industry, business, art, etc.), and the impacts we are currently experiencing or are likely to experience. Hear from ERAU faculty of different disciplines to discuss what the current state of AI technology …

How We Stopped Charging Students To Submit Etds: Case Study Of A Five-Year Odyssey, Gregory Wiedeman, Emily Kilcer

Journal of Graduate Librarianship

In 2019, the Graduate School at the University at Albany, State University of New York wrote to the University Libraries about the processing of archival copies of electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs), hoping to reduce or eliminate deposit fees for authors. Interested library faculty and staff self-assembled into a project team and found that the university’s switch in 2008 to a born-digital submission workflow provided by an external vendor was deeply flawed as a service, and unnecessarily costly to student authors. Later, in 2013, the Libraries established an open access institutional repository (IR), which had the potential to support a …

Analysis Of Systematic Trade-Offs Between Military And Healthcare Expenditure Alongside Gdp Growth Of Select Asian And Western Exporting Economies In The 21st Century, Rahul Balamurugan, Carlos Gershenson, Preethi Nanjundan, Hiroki Sayama

Northeast Journal of Complex Systems (NEJCS)

This study explores the complexity in the trade-offs between military expenditure, healthcare expenditure, and GDP growth across select Asian nations and major weapon-exporting countries, examining how nations allocate finite resources between national security and human well-being over the past two decades. Using a systems science approach, the research integrates Granger causality testing to analyze temporal and directional relationships among GDP growth, military expenditure, and healthcare expenditure, uncovering their dynamic interdependencies. The methodology includes trend and slope analysis, Granger causality testing, outlier detection, and clustering to identify heterogeneity in resource allocation strategies. Developed, weapon-exporting nations exhibit complementary trends, with strong causality …

Bidding With Budgets: Algorithmic And Data-Driven Bids In Digital Advertising, Dirk Bergemann, Alessandro Bonatti, Nicholas Wu

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

In digital advertising, the allocation of sponsored search, sponsored product, or display advertisements is mediated by auctions. The generation of bids in these auctions for attention is increasingly supported by auto-bidding algorithms and platform-provided data. We analyze the equilibrium properties of a sequence of increasingly sophisticated auto-bidding algorithms. First, we consider the equilibrium bidding behavior of an individual advertiser who controls the auto-bidding algorithm through the choice of their budget. Second, we examine the interaction when all bidders use budget-controlled bidding algorithms. Finally, we derive the bidding algorithm that maximizes the platform’s revenue while ensuring all advertisers continue to participate.

The Importance Of Country Of Origin In Vaccine Messaging For H-2a Farmworkers, Anna M. Scheyett, Maria Bowie, Virginia Brown, Andrea Scarrow

Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association

Background: H-2A farmworkers are disproportionately vulnerable to COVID-19 and understanding their beliefs regarding COVID-19 vaccines is important for public health outreach, yet to date little research has examined the influence of country of origin (COO) on the vaccine beliefs of this uniquely transient population.

Methods: Three focus groups (N=30) were held with H-2A farmworkers in South Georgia to explore their beliefs on COVID-19 vaccines, using thematic analyses to identify COO influences on these beliefs.

Results: Family in COO influenced worker vaccine beliefs through direct advice, commonly held beliefs in COO about harmful government agendas via vaccines increased worker vaccine fears, …

A Journey For A Lifetime: A Case Study On Camp Ramah In California’S Staff Retention And Professional Development Practices, Steph Sussman

Experience Industry Management

Summer camps, intending to provide exceptional experiences for their participants, have prioritized staff retention efforts. Camp Ramah in California has worked to keep staff year after year while providing opportunities for professional development. The purpose of this study was to examine the summer camp staff retention and professional development initiatives employed at Camp Ramah in California. A case study was conducted using a tool developed by the researcher to assess the staff retention and professional development practices implemented by Camp Ramah in California. Ramah has a staff retention and professional development system but does not always align with research-based practices. …

Solidarity In Print Poster 2, Sara Decaro, Rafael Tourinho Machado De Almeida

Faculty Submissions

No abstract provided.

March 2025 Government Documents Holocaust Display, Minnesota State University, Mankato

Ethnic History

Bibliography and photographs of a display of government documents from Minnesota State University, Mankato.

Newsletter, Wku Staff Senate

Staff Council

Newsletter created by WKU Staff Council to report on work accomplished.

Older Adults’ Health, Ethnicity, And Daily Life, Hyunsook Kang, Mihae Bae

Faculty Publications

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between ethnicity and daily functional disabilities among older adults, focusing on Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs). The analysis uses data from the 2020 National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP) survey, which included a sample of individuals aged 57-85 (n=3,005). Respondents provided information on their demographic background (e.g., income, gender, race, age, health, retirement, and marital status) and socioeconomic characteristics through telephone interviews.

The study hypothesized that ethnic differences would be evident in perceived difficulties with ADLs and IADLs in later life. To assess these relationships, …