Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Functional Cynicism, Michelle Fried

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Trait cynicism, or “cynical hostility” as measured by the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory’s Cook-Medley Scale, is defined and studied as characteristics associated with psychopathology, interpersonal conflict, and negative health outcomes including heart disease and cognitive decline. Likewise, “organizational cynicism” is operationalized in industrial/organizational psychology for the purpose of describing and identifying an undesirable employee type in the workplace. This research proposes an alternative assessment. It reconnects cynicism with its roots in ancient philosophy by asking if cynical attitudes, despite their negative valence ascribed in the modern literature and conventional opinion, may serve a practical purpose. This study of Functional Cynicism …

E Hui Me Ke Kaiāulu: To Connect With The Community, Heather Kayleen Bartlett

Dissertations and Theses

Urban planning literature contains a wealth of knowledge on community engagement as a crucial component of the planning process, yet there remains a notable gap in our understanding of best practices when it comes to sustaining community involvement for ongoing plan implementation. The County of Hawai'i, has charted a unique course through the establishment of Action Committees which serve as an intermediary to uplift grassroots implementation efforts while remaining closely entwined with County resources and processes. This interplay provides a unique case study that results in somewhat of an "identity crisis": Action Committees do not have the autonomy of external …

Is Racial Diversity Important When Applying To Jmu Pa Program?, Gaelyn E Young, Deonte J. Hope

Physician Assistant Capstones, 2020-current

The Physician Assistant profession is predominantly female and Caucasian. In order to increase the diversity of the profession at the level of the workforce, it is necessary to examine PA programs' role as the entryway into the profession. To that end, this evaluation aimed at surveying current and future PA students at James Madison University to understand whether racial diversity of both the program's cohort and/or its faculty was a factor in their decision to apply and/or attend the school.

Early Diagnosis Methods For Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review, Megan Denise Mccarthy

Doctoral Dissertations

Objective: This systematic review aimed to comprehensively synthesize existing literature on early detection methods for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in children birth to 3 years, that lead to an effective and reliable early diagnosis in children 2 to 3 years of age.

Methods: A systematic search was conducted across multiple electronic databases, including PubMed, Scopus, and PsycINFO following PRISMA guidelines. Studies reporting on early detection methods for ASD in infants and toddlers within ages 0 to 3 years that lead to early diagnosis of children ages 2 to 3 years were eligible for inclusion. Data extraction and quality assessment were …

From Margins To Museums: Tracing The Evolution Of Representation For Contemporary African Artists In The United States, Victoria Mouraux Durand-Ruel

Master's Theses

This thesis examines the impact of the Black Lives Matter movement on the art community in the United States and the evolution of representation for Contemporary African artists. By analyzing the careers and artistic contributions of Omar Ba, Toyin Ojih Odutola, and Njideka Akunyili Crosby, the study explores the concept of artistic agency according to which African artists have more control over the production and distribution of their works.

The research begins with a comprehensive literature review, investigating the historical contexts that have shaped the art landscape, including the impact of colonization, decolonization, and globalization. The study reveals how these …

American Institution Of Public, K-12 Education: An Institutional Field Under A Complexity Paradigm, Jennifer Jean Joyalle

Dissertations and Theses

Institutional fields serve as foundational bedrocks that shape and govern behaviors, norms, and practices within distinct domains of societal and organizational interactions. The emergence of machine learning and the ability to manipulate large datasets offer researchers and decision makers the potential ability to model and visualize the behavior associated with institutional fields.

This proof of concept provides an example of visualizing the changing conditions in the institutional field of public K-12 education in America as a topology. By interweaving three primary strands of theory -- institutional fields, complexity in the guise of complex adaptive systems as a paradigm, and paradigms …

Power And Politics In The Media: The Year In C-Span Archives Research, Volume 9, Robert X. Browning

The Year in C-SPAN Archives Research

Power and Politics in the Media: The Year in C-SPAN Archives Research, Volume 9 features articles from multiple disciplines that use the C-SPAN Video Library to explore recent controversies in American politics. Topics covered include Supreme Court nominations, Supreme Court oral arguments, rhetoric on disasters and COVID-19, and the effect of clothing on the approval of women in power. What unites these topics is the unique use of the video record of C-SPAN to explore the intersections of politics, power, rhetoric, and the media in the contemporary United States. Written in accessible prose, this volume showcases some of the most …

Postgraduate Medical Trainees At A Ugandan University Perceive Their Clinical Learning Environment Positively But Differentially Despite Challenging Circumstances: A Cross-Sectional Study, Paul E. Alele, Joshua Kiptoo, Kathleen Hill-Besinque

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Purpose

The clinical learning environment is an essential component in health professions’ education. Data are scant on how postgraduate trainees in sub-Saharan Africa perceive their medical school learning environments, and how those perceptions contribute to their engagement during training, their emotional wellbeing, and career aspirations. This study examined perceptions of postgraduate medical trainees (residents) in a resource-limited setting, regarding their learning environment and explored perceptual contributions to their career engagement during training. The data reported contribute to understanding how clinical learning environments can be improved in low-resource settings in Uganda and elsewhere.

Methods

This study was done at the Faculty …

Understanding The Relationship Between Narcissism And Political Orientations In College-Aged Adults, Sabrina Richards

Undergraduate Honors Theses

When you try to guess someone’s political beliefs, you probably look towards the usual culprits: race, gender, education, religion, age, marital status, and more. Have you ever tried looking at their narcissistic tendencies? There are seven different types of narcissism, and in a study conducted by Peter K. Hatemi and Zoltan Fazekas in 2018, it was revealed that there is a relationship between an adult’s narcissistic personality traits and their political orientations. It was observed that entitlement narcissism is associated with more conservative political orientations, while exhibitionism narcissism is associated with more liberal political orientations. However, there is a lack …

Beyond Whiteness: Revisiting Jews In Ethnic America, Jonathan Karp

The Jewish Role in American Life: An Annual Review

The concept of ethnicity, once in vogue, has largely gone out of fashion among twenty-first-century social scientists, now replaced by models of assimilation defined in terms of the construction of whiteness and white supremacy. Beyond Whiteness: Revisiting Jews in Ethnic America explores the benefits of reconfiguring the ethnic concept as a tool to analyze the experiences of twentieth-century American Jews—not only in relation to other “white” groups of European descent, but also African Americans and Asian Americans, among others. The essays presented here, ranging from comparative studies of Jews and Asians as “model minorities” to the examination of postethnic “Jews …

Jews And Urban Life, Leonard J. Greenspoon

Studies in Jewish Civilization

Jews and Urban Life recognizes that throughout their long history, Jews have often inhabited cities. The reality of this urban experience ranged from ghetto restrictions to robust participation in a range of civic and social activities. Essays in this collection present relevant examples from within the Jewish community itself, moving historically from the biblical period to the modern-day State of Israel. Taking a comparative approach while recognizing the particulars of individual instances, authors examine these phenomena from a wide variety of approaches, genres, and media. Interdisciplinary and accessibly written, the articles display a multitude of instances throughout history showing the …

The Matriarchs Of Ecuavoley Femenino, Mariana Martinez

Capstones

At Cancha Chavelita (Chavelita Court) in the Bronx, New York, generations of Ecuadorean women have come together to play ecuavoley, a male-dominated sport from Ecuador. Ironically, the court however happens to also be one of the few run by a woman, Chavelita herself. As the women embrace the sport, they’ve become more than just teammates on the court. The capstone project also documents the history of ecuavoley femenino (female ecuavoley) in Ecuador with an in-depth podcast featuring Mercedes (Meche) Mena, a professional ecuavoley player. A third component of the project also explores the rise of ecuavoley femenino on the internet …

Living Among Wildlife: Elevating Human-Wildlife Interactions And Coexistence, Bridget Rebecca Murphy

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

After a semester of learning, both in class and in nature, my writing honed in further on this human-nature divide. To me, I see humans as part of nature – as we are mammals, animals, part of the food chain, biological beings no higher than others on our planet. We have simply constructed this false narrative around us within our societies, minds and media that embeds this division between us and nature, between us and wildlife. Humans have been managing, stewarding, living off and within landscapes for thousands of years. As time and technology evolved, a lot of people began …

Creativity Of Librarians As Determinant Of Job Performance In Some Selected Polytechnic Libraries In Delta State, Nigeria, Patrick Chukwuma Iheme Mr, Chika Chinonso Ejiakor Mrs, Peter O. Moneke, Oluchi Juliet Nwagu, Ufuoma Eruvwe Dr

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The study investigated the creativity of librarians as determinant of job performance in some selected polytechnic libraries in Delta State. The study adopted a descriptive survey using questionnaire to collect data. The population of the study consists of 45 librarians. A total of 45 questionnaires were distributed only 33 were retrieved using descriptive statistics, the mean and percentage of the data were calculated. A mean score of 2.5 or above and a percentage score of 50% were taken into consideration. The study revealed five (5) creativity factors possess by librarians in some selected polytechnic libraries in Delta state as experience, …

Introduction To Lgbtq+ Studies, Allison P. Brown, Deborah P. Amory

Milne Library

Introduction to LGBTQ+ Studies was a collaborative, multi-year open textbook project that engaged faculty authors, librarians, a university press, and OER professionals. The resulting textbook takes a cross-disciplinary approach to the study of LGBTQ+ issues that helps students grasp core concepts through a variety of different perspectives. The text offers accessible, academically sound information on a wide range of topics, including history, culture, and Queer Theory; an exploration of LGBTQ+ relationships, families, parenting, health, and education; and how to conduct research on LGBTQ+ topics. This case study will cover the project’s transformation through years of development, including engaging a large …

Enrichment-Planting With Pines Alters Fuel Amount And Structure In Endangered Araucaria Araucana Forests In Northwestern Patagonia, Argentina, Sofia Cingolani, Ignacio A. Mundo, Ivan Barbera, Andrés Holz, Thomas T. Veblen, Juan Paritsis

Geography Faculty Publications and Presentations

The introduction of non-native tree species for large-scale afforestation may alter the fire regime of native ecosystems by modifying fuel proprieties. We quantified changes in fuel abundance and structure resulting from the establishment of commercial Pinus spp. plantations in Araucaria araucana ecosystems in northwestern Patagonia, Argentina. Specifically, we assessed the amount, distribution, and condition (live/dead) of surface and standing fine fuel in A. araucana stands with mature pine plantations (i.e. > 20 cm dbh) and in stands dominated only by A. araucana (control). Our study shows that both types of stands are prone to wildfires, but pine plantations have fuel characteristics …

Gender Representation In Indian Television Advertisements From 2011 To 2020, Himika Akram

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

This thesis delves into the ways in which gender is portrayed in Indian television advertisements, with a focus on key areas such as male and female ratio as primary characters, in voiceovers, at home, outdoor, and workplace settings, and finally, in product categories. The thesis draws on a content analysis of 120 strategically selected Indian television advertisements from 120 brands from 2011 to 2020. Findings reveal that men were portrayed as the primary characters in 54.6% of these advertisements, and females were portrayed as the primary characters in 45.4% of advertisements. For voiceovers, the male ratio was 70.1%, and the …

Queer Theory In The Metal Music Scene: How These Cultures Influence Each Other, Dalton A. Dalton

Faculty Curated Undergraduate Works

Queer theory has existed in the metal music scene since its beginning. In this paper, many aspects of both topics are dissected. Focusing on metal fashion and its crossover into queer armor, Queer coding, and its translation to metal archetypes on television. And the analysis of queer comfortability in metal music spaces by using queer theory as it applies to mass cultures and subculture

Aspirations Of Hispanic Criminal Justice Students To Join Law Enforcement: An Empirical Investigation, Yudu Li, Lucas Espinoza, Charlotte Hu, Fei Luo

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

This study investigates the job preferences of criminal justice (CJ) students and potential factors that may impact their application for law enforcement positions. Existing research has shown that factors like gender, race, and class standing influence career choices among CJ majors. To contribute to this body of knowledge, this study focuses on CJ students’ attitudes toward the police and willingness to engage in community policing programs. The research examined 231 CJ students in a Hispanic serving university situated along the US-Mexican border. Research findings indicate that CJ students are less likely to pursue law enforcement careers if they hold less …

Understanding The Lived Experiences Of Ethnic-Racial Minority Former Foster Youth Who Identify As Queer, Cristian A. Lemus

Doctoral Dissertations

This qualitative study used Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis to explore the lived experiences and meaning making of former foster youth of color who identify as both ethnic-racial minorities and as either gender or sexual minorities. A total of three participants took part in this study. All participants identified as a former foster youth with at least one foster care placement in the United States, as an ethnic-racial minority, and as a gender or sexual minority. In the lived experiences of the participants three themes, and several subthemes, emerged: identity, cultural prejudice, and power dynamics. The findings supported the hypothesis former foster …

The Religious Landscape Of Uruguay In The Third Millennium: Present Piety As A Product Of The Past?, Brandon Kriplean

Honors Theses

Of all Latin American countries, Uruguay enjoys both the lowest percentage of Catholics and the highest percentage of religiously unaffiliated. The central aim of this thesis is to explore the extent to which historical secularization processes and laicidad are responsible for the low number of Catholics and the large number of religiously unaffiliated. With regards to the former, the historical evidence suggests that the small Catholic population is not a result of laicidad but is instead a product of internal issues within the Uruguayan Catholic Church. Part 1 of this thesis will explore the factors that have weakened the Uruguayan …

Hoops Recruitment: Can Nyc Regain Glory Days With “Theprogramnyc”?, Christian I. Nazario

Capstones

TheProgramNYC is looking to revitalize the Basketball scene in New York City. Founders Jared Effron and Griffin Taylor grew up together as friends and saw the failures of the New York Knicks in the nineties. Effron and Taylor made it there goal to train the youth in order to recreate thew New York Basketball scene.The article details some history of New York City Basketball.

Wave-Ing Away Stereotypes: The Rise Of Black Surfers, John J. Schilling Iii

Capstones

This article examines the growing prominence of Black surfers with a specific focus on Lou Harris of the Black Surfing Association East Coast Chapter in Rockaway Beach, New York. While the sport remains white male-dominated, a 2022 report from the Surf Industry Members Association and ActionWatch show that surfing has experienced a surge in diversity over the last decade with an increase in the number of Black surfers, female surfers and other surfers of color nationwide. In exploring this phenomenon, this article includes the historical background of Black people’s connection to the sport, dating back to enslaved Africans’ complicated interactions …

Understanding And Navigating Asylum In Nyc, Divya Murthy

Capstones

Between September 2022 and December 2023, I worked with the community of grassroots volunteers and organizations in New York helping alleviate the impact of the asylum-seeker crisis in the city. My work is a combination of reporting on the crisis through articles, video and audio as well as an application of engagement journalism techniques, like callouts, joining community groups and sustained conversations with community members.

Link: https://medium.com/@divyamurthy/understanding-and-navigating-asylum-in-nyc-646ab96d0ac1

New York’S Unclear Evacuation Plans Have Rockaway Feeling Abandoned, Michael Matteo

Capstones

This project examines the emergency messaging New York City provides in event of a major coastal storm and mandated evacuation. In the Rockaways, a part of NYC hit hardest by Hurricane Sandy, some members of the community find the information lacking and feel there's no real plan to evacuate them in an emergency. This growing rift between what the community feels it needs and what the city provides is interrogated, especially as climate change increases the risk of another life-altering storm coming to New York City.

Link to capstone project: https://medium.com/@michael.matteo00/new-yorks-unclear-evacuation-plans-have-rockaway-feeling-abandoned-d652bb060c91

Short Documentary: "Masha, Where Is Your Home?", Anastasiia Bilous

Capstones

Life post-invasion and we are on a happiness search – Post-war life – and we are on a happiness search.

Anna and Masha, a 31-year-old mother and her very mobile 3-year-old daughter left their beloved Ukraine 30 days after the Russian invasion with one goal — protect Masha (and if possible, also her childhood). They left their whole world, grandparets, extended family, a vast social network of friends, former classmates and colleagues – carrying only two napsacks and a suitcase. Fortunately they have an American sponsor in Florida, who at 70 years of age might be an opportunistic lech. Iinternationally …

Postpartum Depression Speaks Out: Encouraging The Creation And/Or Improvement Of Postpartum Depression Resources Through First-Person Audio Interviews., Zakiyyah N. Woods

Capstones

For my practicum I conducted audio interviews with mothers with a history of postpartum depression and shared portions of their stories on an online platform. The goal: for community leaders to hear the stories and become inspired to create or improve postpartum depression resources for their community-at-large. Also, for families dealing with postpartum depression to feel less alone through hearing the voices of others who have gone through the same as themselves and become encouraged to speak up and seek help from resources that are available to them.

Experiences Of Black American Millennials: A Qualitative Study Of Internalized And Externalized Coping In The Face Of Racial Trauma, Natalia Angelique Giles

Doctoral Dissertations

The experiences Black Americans have faced when standing against racial trauma have impacted the Black community for generations. Though previous generations faced overt styles of racism throughout the eras of slavery and Jim Crow, the invalidation and discrimination have remained consistent within the experiences of the Black American millennial (BAM) generation. Current experiences BAMs face are a combination of both overt and covert styles of racism, which increase mental exhaustion, reduce motivation, and leave the individual psychologically defenseless. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the experiences of BAMs in the face of racial trauma. This qualitative research …

Understanding Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Among Racial And Ethnic Minority Groups: A Content Analysis, Tyson William Lovell

Theses and Dissertations

Historically, racial and ethnic minority (REM) communities have faced reduced access to resources for mental and emotional health issues. While research has placed a greater emphasis on REM experiences, there is still a need to further understand the unique contextual factors surrounding mental health challenges among these marginalized groups. Research on Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) among REM communities is one area in need of further evaluation. Therefore, this study is a content analysis of literature analyzing the current research focused on the intersection of REM communities and OCD experiences. The purpose of the study is to analyze OCD research among …

Understanding The Psychological Significance Of Astrology In Millennial Women's Lives, Rachel June Floyd

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In North America, astrology has been experiencing a resurgence in popularity. This is immediately remarkable given that the United States and Canada are industrialized, modern societies where astrology is widely lamented as a pseudoscience. This dissertation presents a phenomenological exploration of the underlying reasons for this cultural trend, particularly among the demographic that uses it most: millennial women. Existing psychological literature on astrology is primarily dominated by correlational studies or historical analyses and lacks the depth and richness of direct experiences of individuals engaging with this phenomenon. This study sought to address this gap within psychological literature specifically, by conducting …