Anthropology Commons^™

The Construction Of Ethnoreligious Identity Groups In Syria: Loyalties And Tensions In The Syrian Civil War, Eliott Rousseau

Honors Program Theses and Projects

The ongoing civil war in Syria is characterized by its inherent complexity, often leaving non-Syrian onlookers and geopolitical stakeholders confused and fatigued. In a war with such a high human toll—refugees hemorrhaging from Syria’s borders, the death toll ever-climbing, and a generation of children growing up with the fighting—there is no room for mystification. This research project contextualizes the Syrian Civil War using anthropological concepts of religion and ethnicity. The ways in which religion and ethnicity help construct identity and group loyalty among Syria’s diverse population are examined. In particular, the role of membership in specific identity groups in creating …

Thomason Political Folklore Collection (Fa 774), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archive Project 774. The Thomason Political Folklore Collection includes projects conducted by students from a number of counties in the state of Kentucky and few from nearby states. The collection includes information pertaining to those counties political oral traditions. This project was conducted by students at Western Kentucky University for class credit.

Latinos In America: A Consideration Of Food Accessibility Factors With Implications For The Indianapolis Community, Abigail C. Robison

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Studies discuss personal choices or cultural influences of food consumption, but they may not integrate these findings with the accessibility of food. These factors cannot be ignored when considering the health of populations. Understanding the intricate relationship between food choices and food accessibility is vital to the realm of urban public health. This paper attempts to investigate these relationships and relate the findings to the local sphere, in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Take It But Don't Fake It: Using Self-Awareness To Reduce Fabrications On Personality Tests, Rebekah Lynn Hale

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Applicants have been shown to fake responses on personality tests when applying for a job to appear as if they have characteristics most similar to ones that management defines as ideal for the given position. The purpose of this study was to propose and test a method to decrease faking on personality tests. Participants took a cognitive ability test, an emotional intelligence measure, and personality scales online. In the second part of the study, participants read an accountant job description and then either played a hand-held game (control condition) or filled out a biographical questionnaire (treatment condition) designed to increase …

Eritrean Resettlement In Indianapolis, John Andrew Traylor

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

This project has been designed to look into the challenges of resettlement for Eritreans moving to live in Indianapolis. The discussion of this work follows the footsteps of research on refugee resettlement by asking and responding to some of the common questions surrounding resettlement: why choose to resettle; what is a refugee'S initial response to entry into a host country; what is the resettlement process like; how does a refugee cope with their resettlement difficulties; and what are the prospects for future generations? This work will provide answers to these questions by analyzing the case of three resettled immigrants living …

Mortality Risk And Survival In The Aftermath Of The Medieval Black Death, Sharon Dewitte

Faculty Publications

The medieval Black Death (c. 1347-1351) was one of the most devastating epidemics in human history. It killed tens of millions of Europeans, and recent analyses have shown that the disease targeted elderly adults and individuals who had been previously exposed to physiological stressors. Following the epidemic, there were improvements in standards of living, particularly in dietary quality for all socioeconomic strata. This study investigates whether the combination of the selective mortality of the Black Death and post-epidemic improvements in standards of living had detectable effects on survival and mortality in London. Samples are drawn from several pre- and post-Black …

Mode, Method, And Medium: The Affordance Of Online Tutorials In The Writing Center, Erik V. Holtz

Honors Scholar Theses

While the body of literature regarding online tutorials in the writing center is growing, researchers seem hesitant to fully endorse, or even commend, online writing tutorials. This seems appropriate for work in communication theory and human-computer interaction; working across a medium may be different, but this could create new and interesting ways of tutoring. This research reports on a comparative analysis of online and in-person tutoring at three different universities, focusing on tutor self-perceptions and on affordances, a concept drawn from systems engineering, human-computer interaction and ecological psychology. Unstructured interviewing is used to create a set of preliminary affordances of …

A Critical Evaluation Of Gender Studies In Archaeological Accounts Of Etruscans, Amelia Varteresian

Honors Scholar Theses

An evaluation of the past analysis of Etruscan archaeological discoveries, with a focus on the gender analysis of the artifacts. Several prominent analysis of artifacts and tombs are reevaluated in terms of potential context within the Etruscan society, as well as evaluated in terms of analysis bias primarily based in gender.

Testing And Data Recovery Excavations At 11 Native American Archeological Sites Along The U.S. Highway 271 Mount Pleasant Relief Route, Titus County, Texas Volume Ii, Ross C. Fields, Virginia L. Hatfield, Damon Burden, Eloise Frances Gadus, Michael C. Wilder, Karl W. Kibler

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

Register of Historic Places and State Antiquities Landmark testing of 11 prehistoric sites that will be impacted by construction of the proposed U.S. Highway 271 relief route around Mount Pleasant in Titus County, Texas. The work was done in 2005 for the Texas Department of Transportation’s Environmental Affairs Division under Contract No. 575XXSA006, Work Authorization No. 57501SA006. This research design provides support for a scope of work for testing, prepared as a separate document. The primary relevant historic context for future work on this project is The Development of Agriculture in Northeast Texas Before a.d. 1600 (Kenmotsu and Perttula 1993). …

Testing And Data Recovery Excavations At 11 Native American Archeological Sites Along The U.S. Highway 271 Mount Pleasant Relief Route, Titus County, Texas Volume I, Ross C. Fields, Virginia L. Hatfield, Damon Burden, Eloise Frances Gadus, Michael C. Wilder, Karl W. Kibler

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

This report deals with three episodes of archeological work that began in 2005 and concluded in 2010 for the proposed U.S. Highway 271 Mount Pleasant relief route in Titus County, Texas. The early part of the work was done for the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), Environmental Affairs Division. The later part was done for PTP, LP, acting on behalf of Titus County. The work was done to address the requirements of Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act and the Texas Antiquities Code and was governed by the terms of Texas Antiquities Permit Nos. 3786, 4303, and 5495. …

An Inquiry Into The Harshness Of German Colonialism In Kaiser-Wilhelmsland, Jessica Rohr

Theses & Honors Papers

This thesis investigates German colonialism in the 19^th and 20^th centuries. It discusses the pressure and competition Germany experienced as neighboring countries also aggressively expanded and as Europe underwent massive and rapid industrial growth. It also analyzes the harshness Germany employed in colonizing foreign lands and the reasons for such measures, such as perceived racial and social superiority and economic need.

Neither (Fully) Here Nor There: Negotiation Narratives Of Nashville's Kurdish Youth, Stephen Ross Goddard

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Nashville, Tennessee, is home to nearly fifteen thousand ethnic Kurds. They have come in four distinct groups over the course of two decades to escape the hardship and horror of brutal central government policies, some directed toward their extinction. Many of that number are young people who were infants or toddlers when they were whisked away to the safety of temporary way stations prior to their arrival in the United States. What that means is that these youth have spent the majority of their formative years within the context of the American culture. This thesis is a study of how …

Estimating The Economic Value Of Australian Stock Herding Dogs, E. R. Arnott, J. B. Early, C. M. Wade, P. D. Mcgreevy

Sport and Working Animal Welfare Collection

This study aimed to estimate the value of the typical Australian herding dog in terms of predicted return on investment. This required an assessment of the costs associated with owning herding dogs and estimation of the work they typically perform. Data on a total of 4,027 dogs were acquired through The Farm Dog Survey which gathered information from 812 herding dog owners around Australia. The median cost involved in owning a herding dog was estimated to be a total of AU$7,763 over the period of its working life. The work performed by the dog throughout this time was estimated to …

Biology, Culture, And The Origins Of Pet-Keeping, Harold Herzog

Human-Companion Animal Relationships Collection

Attachments between non-human animals of different species are surprisingly common in situations involving human agency (e.g., homes, zoos, and wildlife parks). However, cross-species animal friendships analogous to pet-keeping by humans are at least rare and possibly non-existent in nature. Why has pet-keeping evolved only in Homo sapiens? I review theories that explain pet-keeping either as an adaptation or an evolutionary by-product. I suggest that these explanations cannot account for the wide variation in the distribution and forms of pet-keeping across human societies and over historical time. Using fluctuations in the popularity of dog breeds in the United States, I show …

The Phonetics Of Moraic Alignment In Yoloxóchitl Mixtec, Christian Dicanio, Jonathan Amith, Rey Castillo Garcia

Anthropology Faculty Publications

This talk highlights recent research on the phonetics of tonal alignment in Yoloxóchitl Mixtec (YM). This language is notable for its large tonal inventory, where 20 tonal melodies contrast on monosyllabic words. The language’s phonological structure strongly supports the alignment of tonal targets to moras, resulting in contrastive contour types even within a single syllable, e.g. /1.3/ vs. /13.3/. Patterns of phonetic tonal alignment were investigated. The alignment of non-glottalized tonal targets was examined with original field data collected by the authors from 10 speakers. Words varied by word type (monosyllabic, disyllabic) and tone. Both the phonological patterning of tone …

From Biopower To Energopolitics In England's Modern Waste Technology, Joshua Reno, Catherine Alexander

Anthropology Faculty Scholarship

Two energy-generating technologies in Britain which transform waste into a resource are compared. One is the (in)famous Combined Heat and Power incinerator in Sheffield, the other a forgotten biological digester in Devon utilizing anaerobic microbes. Both sites are early exemplars of experimental and biopolitical waste disposal technologies—incineration and anaerobic digestion—now regarded as leading alternatives for reducing the United Kingdom’s dependence on landfill and fossil fuel; both sites also inspired public resistance at critical moments in their development. The analysis here relates how activists and technicians struggle to demonstrate competing truths about alternative energy. Through comparison, it becomes clear that, beyond …

Identifying Desaparecidos: The Development Of Forensic Anthropology In Chile, Amanda M. Quinn

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Between 1973 and 1990, Pinochet’s dictatorship in Chile implemented the systematic practice of forced disappearances and extrajudicial killings in order to eradicate the imagined “communist cancer” (Wyndham and Read 2010: 31). A total of 3,227 deaths have been tallied; 1,465 of these were cases of detenidos-desaparecidos, or enforced disappearances (Garrido and Intriago 2012: 34). Scholars suggest that Chile’s transition to democracy will remain incomplete without first locating and identifying the desaparecidos (Aguilar 2002). Through methods of comparing postmortem skeletal analysis with antemortem data, forensic anthropologists carry out the important work that makes identifications possible.

This thesis evaluates the development …

Anthropology And Open Access, Jason B. Jackson, Ryan B. Anderson

Faculty Publications

While still largely ignored by many anthropologists, open access (OA) has been a confusing and volatile center around which a wide range of contentious debates and vexing leadership dilemmas orbit. Despite widespread misunderstandings and honest differences of perspective on how and why to move forward, OA frameworks for scholarly communication are now part of the publishing ecology in which all active anthropologists work. Cultural Anthropology is unambiguously a leading journal in the field. The move to transition it toward a gold OA model represents a milestone for the iterative transformation of how cultural anthropologists, along with diverse fellow travelers, communicate …

Maturing Temporal Bones As Non-Neural Sites For Transforming The Speech Signal During Language Development, Lisa A. Hogan

Anthropology ETDs

Developmental events in the temporal bones shift the pattern of a given speech sounds acoustic profile through the time children are mapping linguistic sound systems. Before age 5 years, frequency information in vowels is differentially accessible through the years children are acquiring the sound systems of their native language(s). To model the acoustic effects caused by developing temporal bones, data collected to elicit steady-state vowels from adult native speakers of English and Diné were modified to reflect the form of children's hearing sensitivities at different ages based on patterns established in the psychoacoustic literature. It was assumed, based on the …

Women And Cultural Production: Fiestas, Families, And Foodways In San Rafael, New Mexico, Stephanie M. Sanchez

Anthropology ETDs

Historically, New Mexico scholars and folklorists have often omitted womens roles in Hispanic cultural production and heritage maintenance. However, women make significant contributions to the retention, transmission, and adaptation of traditional Hispanic practices. In this dissertation, I examine how particular Hispanic women, who I refer to as 'center women' (Brodkin Sacks 1988), from a small village named San Rafael, New Mexico mobilize their families and other community members in order to successfully perform traditional New Mexican events such as the annual fiesta in honor of the local patron saint, Las Posadas, a Christmas time novena, and Good Friday commemorations. These …

Women's Activism And Social Networks In Post-Genocide Rwanda., Michelle Cecelia Marie Fox

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

Following the 1994 genocide the social networks of many Rwandan women changed. The loss of kin, particularly men, left many women needing new sources of social and material support. Beginning in the early 1990s the international development and aid community recognized the need to integrate gender analysis in their work and began to focus on women’s activism and efforts to improve the position of women in the supposed developing world. Using social network data and structured interview data gathered in Rwanda in June and July 2013 from 30 women, this study attempts to answer the question: Do women who were …

Perceptions Of Homelessness And Strategies For Receiving Services Among The Florida Homeless, Rebecca Young

HIM 1990-2015

Homelessness is a complex problem replete with profound social distress and suffering, but with few adequate solutions. The homeless are a marginalized population particularly vulnerable to structural forces and policy decisions, including lack of affordable housing, unemployment, systemic inequalities, and lack of adequate social safety net. Perspectives of homeless people are understudied in anthropological scholarship which tends to focus on service providers, with comparatively less attention on homeless people themselves who are commonly subjected to medicalizing and criminalizing discourses. Using ethnographic research methods, including participant-observation and interviews with homeless people who pursue food pantry services at Hope Helps NGO in …

Native American And Alaskan Native Youth Suicide, Emily Yurasek

HIM 1990-2015

Indigenous populations in the U.S. have been suffering from a youth suicide epidemic for decades. The epidemic and risk factors associated with it can be connected to the mistreatment of Native Americans throughout history which has caused their communities to suffer from numerous inequalities such as poverty, inadequate housing, loss of land, and destruction of culture. Using the concepts of biopolitics, post-colonialism, and structural violence, I argue that the social and political institutions forced upon Native American communities have led to increased alcohol and drug abuse, poverty, and disempowerment, all important factors that aid in the youth suicide epidemic. I …

A Retrospective Study On The Effect Of Immunotherapy Treatment On Nasal Polyposis., Johanna Haejean Yun

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

Inside the paranasal sinuses, multiple saclike masses protrude from the lining, blocking one’s sense of taste and smell, clogging one’s nose with nasal congestion, and causing a continuous runny nose with postnasal drip. This is a common case of nasal polyposis. Nasal polyposis affects up to four percent of the general population, making it one of the most common chronic diseases of the upper respiratory tract (Settipane 1996). Moreover, in cadaveric studies, the prevalence has been as high as 40% (Larson et al 1994). Nasal polyps commonly occur in adults over the age of 40, predominantly in males—with a 2:1 …

Pedicures In Combat Boots: Navigating Gender In The Syracuse Police Department, An Ethnographic Analysis, Rebecca Ierardo

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

In an ethnographic analysis, I seek to answer the question: how, if at all, does gender interact with police work? Using the women of the Syracuse Police Department (SPD) as the defined population for my study, I conducted 4 in-depth ethnographic interviews along with 5 sessions of participant observation, accompanying female officers during their shifts for anywhere from 4-8 hours at a time. Historically, women’s presence in law enforcement has been almost nonexistent, particularly in police work which is overwhelmingly perceived as the domain of men. Women in police work have made some progress parallel to social progress over time, …

A Paleopathological Analysis Of The Moran French Colonial Cemetery, Jennifer Lynn Funkhouser

Master's Theses

This research examines the health experiences of early eighteenth-century European immigrants to the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Most were low-status individuals forcibly expulsed from France and brought to Biloxi to colonize Louisiana. Historical records report the immigration effort was poorly provisioned and that large numbers died from malnutrition and disease soon after arrival. The remains of 30 adults, presumably colonists from this period based on collagen dating and grave goods, have been recovered at the Moran site (22HR511). DNA analysis (n = 8) suggests all are European. Most are males, and only one lived past age 40. Estimated mean height is …

Pottery And Differential Foodways: An Evaluation Of Social Stratification At The Winterville Site (22ws500), Amy Catherine Geiger

Honors Theses

The Winterville archeological site (22WS500) is a Mississippian-era chiefdom that flourished as a political center. Excavations at the site have unearthed ritual artifacts, deliberate burning, and feasting pits that hint at social stratification and other relationships present during the site’s occupation. This project analyzed 432 ceramic rim sherds from three separate contexts at the site— Area A, Mound C, and the area between Mounds B and C— and used vessel morphology, orifice diameter, decoration, and tempering to find evidence related to the occurrence of ritual feasting events and other food sharing activities as well as document changes in vessel prominence …

Religious And Ceremonial Microartifacts From The Winterville Archaeological Site (22ws500), Caitlyn E. Burkes

Honors Theses

The Winterville Archaeological Site (22WS500), located near Greenville, Mississippi, served as a ceremonial center during the Mississippian Period (approximately 1000-1500 AD). Originally consisting of twenty-three or more mounds, Winterville was a significant social and religious gathering place and was home to the elite classes of the society. This study analyses microartifacts from two locations on the site, leading to comparisons and conclusions of the types of religious activities occurring at each. Mound C was home to an elite group while Mound B likely served as a temple or religiously significant mound. The findings indicate that elites and elite mounds played …

From Sydney To Syracuse A Transcontinental Exploration Of Women’S Health In Karen Refugee Communities, Darcy Cherlin

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

From Sydney to Syracuse a Transcontinental Exploration of Women’s Health in Karen Refugee Communities. There are many impediments to refugee women’s access to health care and sexual and reproductive services in their countries of resettlement, including language difference, transportation, and absence of culturally appropriate support. Through focus groups and participatory observation this paper identifies some major challenges that Karen (an ethnic group from Burma) women face accessing health care in their respective cities of resettlement (Syracuse, New York or Sydney, Australia). It is through such documentation and analysis that policies and services can be improved and any harm they …

Sovereign Silence: Immoral Trafficking (Prevention) Act And Sex Work In Sonagachhi, Simanti Dasgupta

Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work Faculty Publications

Drawing upon ethnographic work with a grassroots sex workers’ organization in Calcutta, Durbar Samanwaya Samiti (Durbar), this article analyzes the relationship between subalternity and silence. I discuss how sex workers, especially new entrants, use silence as a subaltern strategy to resist state and non-state surveillance intended to oppose trafficking. The increased surveillance is a direct result of the global anti-trafficking narrative, led mainly by the United States, in which developing countries, like India, adopt measures to avoid being downgraded in the United States’ Trafficking in Persons Report. I contend that these national and international efforts have led to a quandary …