Anthropology Commons^™

From Past To Present: Heritage As An Avenue To Contemporary Social Concerns, Uzi Baram

Florida Statewide Symposium: Best Practices in Undergraduate Research

The New College Public Archaeology Lab program in regional heritage has expanded undergraduate experiential learning from excavations and laboratory analysis to community service learning with engagement with the public and diverse communities. Archaeology focuses research on the past but the public aspect situates the studies in the context of the present, with excavations and preservation requiring a critical perspective on contemporary social concerns. Recognizing the past can be empowering for subordinated communities, heritage interpretation, built on the archaeological research, offers undergraduates opportunities to grapple with community identities, contemporary politics, and commemoration.

The Effect Of Androgynous Clothing On Male Expressions Of Masculine Gender, Cassandra Walsh

Scholars Week

Gender expression is a fluid combination of verbal and non-verbal communication and an essential element of individual identity. Clothing selection and personal style is perhaps the most immediately recognizable form of gender expression. Since the establishment of androgyny as a distinct gender identity and cultural symbol of modernity over the last century, clothing options have become much more homogeneous. This research explores the behaviors and attitudes held by masculine males in response to the use of traditionally masculine clothing items for female gender expression. I interviewed six males between the ages of 8 and 64 living in the Bellingham area …

A Minority Within A Minority: A Kurdish Refugee In Portland, Oregon, Seth Thomas

Student Research Symposium

This paper is a narrative approach to the experience of Kurdish refugees in Portland, Oregon, focusing specifically on the experiences of Nihad Abdul Rahman, a 40 year old Kurdish refugee born and raised in Baghdad. Nihad arrived in Portland on January 18th, 2015, five years after beginning his refugee application process with the International Organization of Migration (personal communication, February 23, 2015). The qualitative nature of this paper is expressed through the indefinite article of the title: “A Kurdish Refugee.” Nihad receives refugee assistance from Lutheran Community Services Northwest (LCSN), a non-Profit NGO in Portland, Oregon that is one of …

Lambda Alpha Anthropology Honors Society (Lab): Bridging The Gap Between Coursework And Career, Adriana Stein, Stefanie Berganini

Student Research Symposium

Many anthropology majors gain an academic familiarity with the subject through coursework, but lack an understanding of how to utilize their anthropological skills outside of academia in future careers. To remedy this issue, the Lambda Alpha Beta Honor Society (LAB), a student-led anthropology organization at Portland State University, provides opportunities for participation in events that get students involved with our local community, such as non-profit organizations and local cultural institutions. Some of these organizations include the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI), Clark Public Utilities, The Ridgefield Wildlife Refuge, Potluck in the Park, and Habitat for Humanity. As an …

Cooking Outside Of States And Markets: Food As A Common, Christopher Abbott

CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium

Food Not Bombs is a global social movement that gathers food deemed to be waste to cook and give it away to whoever wants to eat it. The movement is challenging poverty, hunger, and war through mutual aid, instead of charity. What role does food play in this work? How does it serve as a common?

The Feminized Culture Of Dieting As A Social Construct, Molly Cox

CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium

This research project explores dieting as a culturally constructed concept. It examines the motivating factors for women to begin dieting, the goals they hope to achieve through dieting, and whether or not these are attainable. Drawing on interviews conducted with women on Colby's campus, both those who diet and those who do not, I explore questions concerning what dieting means to those who practice it as well as how normative discourses about food and body image influence these understandings.

Gender Performances And Virtual Community In Women's Cooking Blogs, Alicia Fawcett

CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium

Cooking blogs are a unique medium that allow many people, especially women, to express their love and talent for cooking, while other media is much less accessible to both writers and readers. The majority of cooking blogs are written by women, and the most popular of these offer a distinct performance of gender by their authors and facilitate a community with and among their readers. Each cooking blog is unique in its gender performance and the type of community it creates, influenced by the gender, racial, and classist structures that have permeated other cooking media in its own way. This …

Cooking Solo: Complicating Off-Campus Culinary Independence, William Harley

CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium

People have traditionally learned how to cook from helping and watching their parents. However, many people today teach themselves how to cook when they first live on their own and have to feed themselves. My friend Sarunas moved off campus in January and is currently teaching himself how to cook. Over the past month and a half, I've met with Sarunas to observe how he shops, preps, and cooks his meals in an attempt to understand what resources he draws from to make himself cheap, healthy, and delicious food.

#Foodies Feeding Gender And Social Class, Catherine Powell

CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium

At the most basic level, a Foodie is someone who loves food. Interviewing students and friends, studying Instagram Foodie profiles, and analyzing scholarly articles revealed that the Foodie identity includes much more than a love of food. The Foodie identity is an exclusive privilege accessible mainly to white upper class females with access to smartphones and internet. Some themes that I explore include the relationship of food consumption to modernity, gender, and social class, and the racism implied and perpetuated through the Foodie identity.

Bone Deterioration Due To Domesticated Rodent Scavenging, Logan N. Howard

Symposium of Student Scholars

This project examines the deterioration of bone caused by rat scavenging. Additionally, it will focus on what types of bones rats prefer when scavenging remains. The expected outcome is that the rodents will prefer the antler, with concentrated scavenging on the diaphysis due to the marrow withim the core.

The purpose for this project is to compare the markings left upon bones from rat gnawing. Knowing the effects of rat markings on remains are important when differentiating between traumatic damages and postmortem scavenging. Rat gnawing on human bones sometimes causes breakage associated with skeletal trauma, so distinguishing between the two …

The Revolution Of Fitness: A Contemporary Analysis Of How Technology And Personal Training Influences Consumer Behavior In Two Atlanta, Georgia Fitness Centers, Krista L. Cross

Symposium of Student Scholars

The Revolution of Fitness: A Contemporary Analysis of How Technological and Personal Training Influences Consumer Behavior in Two Atlanta, Georgia Fitness Centers

Krista Cross (Kennesaw State University)

"Krista Cross"

Today, fitness gyms and private health clubs are globally recognized as multi-billion-dollar establishments. This study explores the development of the modern gym and fitness culture, particularly the emergence of fitness trends such as personal training and technology. This paper aims to understand how and why training in the gym has become so important for people. A comparative case study approach was used to consider personal training and technological influences, which are …

Diversity And Tolerance: Acceptance Of Non-Christian Religious Faiths On A University Campus, Michele Kumar

Symposium of Student Scholars

Michele Kumar - Email: mkumar1@students.kennesaw.edu

Diversity and Tolerance: Acceptance of Non-Christian Religious Faiths on a University Campus

The purpose of this research was to explore the diversity of non-Christian belifs on a university campus to better understand the acceptance and tolerance of these religious affiliations and belief systems. In doing humanistic, exploratory research using both deductive and inductive methods of participant observation and semi-structured interviewing, this study asked, how do the students of non-Christian faiths or belief systems at a southeastern comprehensive university feel about the level of acceptance and tolerance toward their beliefs on campus? Organizations such as the …

Examination Of Blunt Force Skeletal Injuries As A Result Of Falls From Heights, Michele Kumar

Symposium of Student Scholars

Michele Kumar - Email: mkumar1@students.kennesaw.edu

Title: Examination of Blunt Force Skeletal Injuries as a Result of Falls from Heights

Damage to the skeleton can be extensive with falls from heights. Using measurements such as the height of the fall, the weight of the individual to calculate acceleration due to gravity, velocity of the launch speed, and the take-off distance in cases of homicide or suicide, certain occurrences can be predicted (Cross 2006:93). The position of the body, in conjunction with the surface and angle of impact can identify skeletal trauma in cases where the manner of death is unknown. Although …

Positional Relationship Of The Fibula Relative To The Tibia In Collegiate Athletes, Kat Lane

Symposium of Student Scholars

The research being conducted for a Practicum in Anthropology is related to the cross-sectional geometric properties of the tibia and fibula. Wolff’s Law states that form follows function, or that when stresses are placed on bone, the bone will remodel through either absorption or deposition in order to maintain optimal strain levels. The majority of research in cross-sectional bone geometry has been on the femur, and that which has been examining the lower leg usually focused on only the tibia. The tibia has managed to escape the focus of research due to the assumption of its lack of importance due …

A Comparison Of United States And Chinese Societal Views On Corporal Punishment, Kirili Stauch, Charles Spingwood, Faculty Advisor

John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference

Views on punishment differ from one society to another. What is viewed as culturally acceptable in one society may be frowned upon in a different society. In order to understand these differing views, it is crucial to place them within the context of societal norms. It is important to distinguish each society’s definition of corporal punishment. Once a set definition is established within the cultural context, interviews can be used as case studies. These interviews provide an insider perspective on the subject, allowing for a deeper understanding of views on corporal punishment.

The European Union Experiment: Health Outcomes Of Economic Policies, Shelly Swann

Georgia State Undergraduate Research Conference

No abstract provided.

An Astro-Anthropological Paradigm, Patrick Soutar

Georgia State Undergraduate Research Conference

No abstract provided.

Theoretical Differences: Exploring The Communication Barrier Between Anthropology And Physics Education Research, Laura Kiepura

Georgia State Undergraduate Research Conference

No abstract provided.

The Italian Family In Times Of Crisis, Laura Aday

Georgia State Undergraduate Research Conference

No abstract provided.

Yoking The Exotic: Influence, Identity, And The Politics Of Representation In The Reconstruction Of Historic New Orleans, Jessica Moss

Georgia State Undergraduate Research Conference

No abstract provided.

The Moeggenberg Collection: Making Sense Of Unprovenienced Artifacts, Adi Komic

Georgia State Undergraduate Research Conference

No abstract provided.

Ancient Brews: Ethiopia And The Consumption Of Tej., Jenail Marshall

Georgia State Undergraduate Research Conference

No abstract provided.

Comparison Of Molar Metric Variation And Dental Microwear Among Three Species Of Parapapio From The Pliocene Cave Site Of Sterkfontein Member 4, South Africa, William Anderson, Laura Aday

Georgia State Undergraduate Research Conference

No abstract provided.

Using Gis To Identify At-Risk Populations Of Military-Generated Dust, Darcy Ann Ayers

EURēCA: Exhibition of Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement

This project uses GIS and an anthropological perspective to identify local populations surrounding Pohakuloa Training Area (PTA) that are most at risk from military vehicle-generated dust. Using ArcGIS, the following data was analyzed in order to better understand impacts from dust on the local population: • Prevailing wind rose data from National Water and Climate Center under the USDA National Resources Conservation Service, • Digital Elevation Model (DEM) map of the island provided by National Elevation Dataset from USGS, and • The US Census data of the local population distribution surrounding the military base at PTA. When studying demographics, I …

An Exploration Of Gender Roles And The Traditional Dual Gendered Parenting Model Within Co-Fathered Families, Zoe Dearborn Geyman

MAD-RUSH Undergraduate Research Conference

In this paper I develop a working theory of gender as a constantly performed state of social mimicry that evolves in response to one’s lived experience. Through analysis of transcript selections from the daily lives of two co-fathered families and relevant literature, I explore the gendered realities of gay parents, and introduce work, in this case referring to professional labor and its associated identities, as key to the gendering process. In the paper I also address the malleability of family units, and explore the ways in which gay fathers negotiate pressures to conform to the traditionally gendered family model. Ultimately, …

The Woman Composer: Culture And Social Ideologies Behind Her Success In Music Composition, Julia K. Brummel

The Research and Scholarship Symposium (2013-2019)

Music is an art that has been enjoyed since almost the beginning of time. This art has carried many traditions and ideologies with it that are still prevalent today. One such idea that began early on and is still an attitude that must be fought in today’s musical culture, is that women are unable to be quality composers. For as long as music has been composed, men have dominated in writing and performing their own works. The lack of women composers throughout history is a subject that has interested many music historians. There are reasons behind this issue and many …