Social Justice Commons^™

Ai In Society: A Regulatory Framework For Responsible Integration, Ziad Doughan, Sari Itani, Hadi Al Mubasher

BAU Journal - Science and Technology

This review paper studies the influence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) on society in various categories in detail. AI and ML have developed rapidly in the past two decades, thus changing our lifestyles. These developments have various positive and negative impacts on society. This paper explores the many societal impacts of AI and ML, in economics, social aspects, ethics, and policy, shedding light on the opportunities and challenges that arise. An interdisciplinary insight is capable of understanding the challenges society faces when it uses AI and ML, locking opportunities that lie ahead and identifying promising paths towards …

Symbolic Reform Or Substantive Change? The Effect Of Body-Worn Camera Implementation On Lethal Use-Of-Force In Missouri, Sophia A. Tuncer

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis investigates whether body-worn cameras reduce lethal use-of-force among police departments in Missouri. Aggregating data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics and Mapping Police Violence, I create a panel of 188 cities in Missouri, with and without body-worn camera adoption. The OLS and Poisson regression results show that body-worn cameras do not have a significant effect on lethal use-of-force in the short run, but that the technology does significantly lower lethal use-of-force in the medium run.

Hosts, Scouts, And Female Indentured Sexual Servitude In Contemporary Japan, Caroline Norma, Seiya Morita

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

This article sweeps away glossy abstractions obscuring the indenturing of women in sexual servitude in Japan. These abstractions were generated by anthropologists writing in English in the first two decades of the 21^st century who inverted the relationship between perpetrator and victim to suggest that female customers exploited hosts. To overturn this view and expose the ‘gendered reality that [i]s really going on’ in Japan, this article differently explains from a feminist perspective how present-day host and scout businesses indenture Japanese women in sexual servitude. This role is one of both procuring victims as well as keeping young women …

Localized Air Pollution Impacts From Data Centers In Northern Virginia, Damian Pitt, Ivan Suen, Ellie Plisko

Institute for Sustainable Energy and Environment Publications and Presentations

This report examins the extent of air pollution emissions resulting from the use of backup generators at data centers in Northern Virginia, including both actual current emissions and potential future emissions, and how those emissions totals compare to other sources of air pollution in the Northern Virginia region. It also examines how exposure to data center emissions correlates with demographic characteristics such as race, income, and education.

We while the air pollution emissions from individual data centers is minor, the collective impact from the 100+ such facilities in the Northern Virginia region is significant. Notably, the cumulative emissions exposure in …

Association Between Internet Use For Health Information And Alzheimer’S Disease Diagnosis Among Older Adults With Diabetes In The United States: Examining Racial And Gender Disparities, Henry M. Zeidan

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This study uses data from the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) Round 13, collected in 2024, to examine whether internet use for health information is associated with Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis among older adults with diabetes in the United States. Given the rising adoption of digital health, understanding who benefits from online health resources is increasingly important. The research also examines whether these associations differ across racial and gender groups, offering insight into potential disparities in digital health engagement and cognitive outcomes. Findings from this study will inform clinical practice, public health programming, and strategies to ensure equitable access …

“Thank You For Listening To Us”: Incorporating Community Context And Perspectives Into Sea-Level Rise Adaptation Planning For Fields Landing & King Salmon, California, Clara Riggio

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Fields Landing and King Salmon, California are two low-lying, coastal communities on Humboldt Bay (Wigi). These communities already experience coastal flooding during the highest astronomical tides each year, and flood conditions are expected to worsen as sea levels continue to rise. The Fields Landing & King Salmon (FLKS) Living with Water Project was created as a partnership between Humboldt County departments of Planning & Building and Public Works, along with support from social science researchers at Cal Poly Humboldt, including the author. In Chapter 1, I describe the co-production approach used throughout the project, including analysis of four dilemmas that …

The Economics Of Accountability: Learning From German Holocaust Reparations, Grace I. Gates

Scripps Senior Theses

Drawing on microdata from the Survey of Health, Aging, and Retirement in Europe, this study compares European Holocaust survivors who received reparations with similar Europeans who did not. It finds that, decades on, recipients are not systematically better or worse off on core outcomes like life satisfaction, savings, and debt. This is consistent with the argument that reparations restore parity rather than create new advantages. Where differences emerge, they point to stabilization in more vulnerable settings (e.g., lower likelihood of high debt in parts of Eastern Europe). The main takeaway from effective reparations is applicable to the United States debate: …

The Judicial Containment Of Adivasi Rights Across India's Mineral Belt, Sajni S. Sheth-Voss

Scripps Senior Theses

This thesis examines how Adivasi resistance to mining-induced dispossession across India’s mineral belt is increasingly channeled into the judiciary, arguing that this shift functions as a mechanism of containment rather than a pathway to justice. Despite a robust legal framework designed to protect Adivasi land and consent rights, systematic non-enforcement and political closure have hollowed out policy and electoral channels, pushing communities into litigation as a last resort. Drawing on scholarship in political economy, legal studies, and political ecology, alongside primary sources including court documents and activist statements, this study follows how disputes move across institutions and are ultimately reshaped …

Analyzing Critical Mineral Supply For Lithium-Ion Battery Demand To 2050, Shaely Sullivan

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Battery storage is fundamental in the global initiative to mitigate anthropogenic climate change by decarbonizing the electric power grid and transportation sector. Battery storage stabilizes intermittent energy sources, such as solar and wind, and enables clean transportation through electric vehicles. Lithium-ion batteries are the most widely used battery chemistry globally due to their performance capabilities. Therefore, demand for lithium-ion batteries is projected to increase exponentially over the next several decades, driven by the growth of electric vehicles. This thesis projects global demand for electric vehicles and stationary storage, to assess the supply risks for critical minerals essential to lithium-ion batteries. …

Indigenous Land Seizure & Environmental Injustice: Impacts Of Settler Colonialism, Lydia Moorman

Journal of Earth and Life Science

The fields of conservation and environmentalism prioritize ecosystem health, yet both emerged from western frameworks that displaced and criminalized Indigenous land stewardship. The idealization of “pristine wilderness” narratives served to justify the removal of Indigenous peoples from their homelands and erased millennia of sustainable land stewardship that had maintained ecological balance long before western conservation existed. These narratives not only misrepresented Indigenous relationship with land but also constructed a false dichotomy between humans and nature that positioned Indigenous presence as a threat rather than a source of ecological knowledge. Simultaneously, anthropogenic expansion; such as pipelines, mining, railroads, and other extractive …

Geography Of Erasure: Manufactured Housing, Heat Exposure, And State Neglect In Florida, Gianna M. Hutton

Pomona Senior Theses

This thesis examines Florida's manufactured housing communities through the intersecting frameworks of energy justice, critical heat studies, and housing displacement scholarship, centering how structural, political, and economic forces shape uneven exposure to thermal insecurity and housing precarity. Using a mixed-methods approach combining statistical regression analysis of American Community Survey microdata (2019-2023) and spatial case study of Miami-Dade County's heat governance and The Li'l Abner Mobile Home Community’s displacement, this research investigates how manufactured housing residents experience compounded exclusions across energy systems, urban heat governance, and housing security. The findings reveal that manufactured home residents face a 26% higher energy burden …

Racial Disparities In Maternal Mortality: The Role Of Explicit And Implicit Bias In U.S. Healthcare, Lailah Allen

Capstone Showcase

Maternal mortality in the United States remains a critical public health crisis, with disproportionately high rates among Black and other minority women. Despite advances in obstetric medicine, racial disparities in pregnancy-related deaths persist due to structural inequities, implicit bias in healthcare delivery, unequal access to prenatal and postpartum care, and broader social determinants of health. Nationally, Black women are significantly more likely to experience severe maternal morbidity and mortality compared to White women, reflecting longstanding inequities embedded within the healthcare system. This paper examines the relationship between race, healthcare access, and maternal outcomes through a focused case study of and …

Food Stamp Participation And Health Outcomes In Ca Immigrants, Esther Kang

Scripps Senior Theses

The U.S. social welfare system includes programs aiming to increase access to nutritious food to reduce nutrition insecurity. However, studies suggest that immigrants continue to face disproportionate risks of nutrition insecurity and may face barriers to enrollment due to legal status. This study, using secondary data from the 2023 California Health Interview Survey, examines the associations between food stamp participation, food insecurity, and clinical diagnosis of diabetes among adult U.S.-born, naturalized, and non-citizen adults in California. The findings suggest that those enrolled in food stamps are more likely to report food insecurity than those who are not enrolled, and that …

Who Should Be Responding To Mental Health Crises: A Public Perception Study, Bryan E. Phillips

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This project includes a survey which will be evaluating, out of Police Officers, Paramedics, and Mental Health Clinicians, who Intro to Psychology students believe are best fit to respond to Mental Health Crises as well as what factors may influence said belief. To do this they will be provided with a survey that collects demographic information, personal experiences with each profession, and detailed scenario-based questions with differing variables allowing the participants to decide which profession they believe is best equipped to deal with each scenario. This data will then be put into a research manuscript to be presented via posterboard …

Preserving Progress: Why The Dd Network Matters Now More Than Ever, Matt Wappett

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

No abstract provided.

Massachusetts Community Mediation Center (Cmc) Grant Program: Fiscal Year 2025 Evaluation Report, Madhawa Palihapitiya, Karina Zeferino

Massachusetts Office of Public Collaboration Publications

The CMC Grant Program remains a vital statewide investment in equitable access to justice and community well-being in Massachusetts. In FY2025, the Commonwealth allocated $3,100,202 to the Program, with $2,376,002 awarded directly to 12 community mediation Centers for operational support, technical assistance, and participation in statewide initiatives. These funds continued to serve as the financial foundation of the community mediation system, accounting for half of Centers’ collective revenue and enabling them to leverage an additional $2,435,797 from private, municipal, state, and federal partners—demonstrating strong public return on state appropriations. Despite a funding reduction in FY2025, the Program generated …

Preserve Democracy By Teaching Social Action, Cheyenne C. Luzynski

2026 Scholarly Teaching Conference: Concurrent Session Papers

This presentation introduces social action pedagogy aimed to empower students to lead campaigns on pressing social issues and strengthen their participation in democracy. Teaching social action has enhanced the knowledge, practice, and skills of leadership and civic engagement. America’s Promise Alliance conducted a research study on the state of young people in 2024 and found that young people have low trust in American institutions and adults and feel negatively affected by the current social and political climate (Flanagan et al., 2025). The report also found that young people want access to civic education and engagement opportunities to correct inequalities and …

Rethinking Reentry In The United States: A Comparative Analysis Of Incarceration Strategies In Norway, Singapore, And Austria, Amelia Ulmer

CMC Senior Theses

The prison reentry system in the United States remains a pressing social, economic, and political issue, as hundreds of thousands of prisoners are released each year with few resources to assist them with their transition. In fact, these previously incarcerated people are arguably set up to fail, which leads to over half of them reoffending within two years. This thesis analyzes how the United States should reform its current prison system based on lessons learned from three international case studies. These three case studies, Norway, Singapore, and Austria were chosen as countries that have globally low recidivism rates and unique …

From Statute To Classroom: The Implementation Gap In California's Queer-Relevant Sex Education Policy, Alejandro Quiroz-Novela

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis examines why strong sex education laws do not reliably translate into consistent classroom experiences for LGBTQ+ students. Using a qualitative single-case study of California, it traces the evolution from SB 71 (2003) to the California Healthy Youth Act (CHYA) (2016) and analyzes how mandates move through a decentralized governance chain. Drawing on statutes, legislative records, state guidance, curriculum review tools, advocacy reports, media accounts, and public indicators, the study focuses on implementation mechanisms rather than estimating causal health effects. Three findings emerge: CHYA sets a clear legal floor but is difficult to verify at scale; district discretion and …

Navigating Mental Wellness: A Peer-Led Journey Into Adult Services, Kristin G. Haberek

DSW Capstone Projects

Students with severe emotional disturbances (SED) occupy one of the most underserved intersections in American education and mental health care. As they age out of children’s services, they face abrupt service discontinuation, disrupted therapeutic relationships, and adult systems ill-equipped to meet their needs. These vulnerabilities, including heightened risks of crisis, hospitalization, homelessness, and justice involvement, constitute a central practice problem. This capstone addresses these transitions across three scholarly products: a systematic literature review, a theoretical concept paper, and a practical application paper, tracing a unified arc from diagnosing structural failures to proposing an evidence-informed, equity-oriented clinical response. Synthesizing key findings …

Gendered Resistance: Women’S Strategies Against Military Dictatorships, Argentina And Chile, Maricarmen Canales-Moreno

Publications and Research

This article compares the Madres de Plaza de Mayo in Argentina and the Agrupación de Familiares de Detenidos Desaparecidos (AFDD) in Chile to examine how women transformed their identities as mothers, wives, and daughters into strategies of political resistance under military dictatorship. It argues that maternal imagery, public mourning, and the transformation of private grief into collective defiance enabled women-led human rights organizations to challenge authoritarian regimes while strategically drawing on gender roles those regimes sought to enforce. The article traces the emergence of both organizations, their occupation of public space, hunger strikes, legal action, and engagement with international human …

Resilience By Design: Evidence From The Richmond Resilience Initiative, Research Institute For Social Equity Rise, Morgan Woodle Phd, Albert Okwei, Yali Pang, Nakeina E. Douglas-Glenn

Research Institute for Social Equity

This report presents a programmatic evaluation of the Richmond Resilience Initiative (RRI), a guaranteed income program designed to support economic stability among Richmond Residents experiencing financial hardship. The evaluation focuses on participants in Cohort Two and Cohort Three, examining program impacts over the two-year periods during which participants received cash transfers. Guaranteed income (GI), the provision of recurring, unconditional cash transfers, has grown in popularity as a significant policy innovation for addressing economic insecurity and inequality in the United States.

Examining Challenges For Sociology Master’S Degree Students At California State University, David Ortuno

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to identify the lived experiences of CSU sociology graduate students pursuing a master’s degree. Seven sociology graduate students from six of the eight (75%) total sociology MA programs throughout the entire CSU system were interviewed. Their responses were designed to analyze the support systems and challenges they face while pursuing a master's degree, as well as to investigate whether their experiences correlate with or fail to correlate with the promises in the CSU mission statement, and to answer the study’s research questions and achieve the purpose of this qualitative study.

Four themes emerged from …

Magang Atau Pekerja? Menggugat Status Abu-Abu Tenaga Paruh Waktu Mahasiswa Di Fakultas Hukum Ugm, Patricia Nerissa Krisna Putri, Markus Togar Wijaya

Jurnal Hukum & Pembangunan

This study highlights the controversy surrounding the change in nomenclature for student workers at Gadjah Mada University, particularly within the Faculty of Law. The status of these workers has shifted from 'part-time' to 'student intern'. This unilateral change has created a legal grey area that could lead to students being subjected to disguised employment practices. Using socio-legal research methods, this article examines the validity of the 'internship' status based on the elements of an employment relationship (work, orders and wages) within the labour law regime, analysing it using the theory of structural injustice. The research findings suggest that reclassifying part-time …

“Black Students Matter”: A Phenomenological Study Of Black Student Experiences At A Predominately White Institution In Appalachia During The Dual Pandemic Of Covid-19 And Systemic Anti-Black Racism, Toni Owens

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

As the spread of COVID-19 escalated into a global pandemic in 2020, simultaneously, the nationwide media in the United States (U.S.) highlighted coverage of the country’s ongoing incidents of longstanding systemic anti-Black racism in America, another pandemic. In the Summer of 2020, a collective of Black students at West Virginia University (WVU) signed and publicly submitted a petition to the university’s leadership with a list of demands to address their needs as they were further exacerbated by the dual pandemic. This study is guided by the question, “What are the lived experiences of Black Students at West Virginia University during …

Public Perception Of Environmental Contamination And Its Implications For Fish And Community Health In West Bengal, India, Libia Hazra

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

In West Bengal, India, the highest fish-consuming state in the country, fish are woven into everyday life, including ceremonies of birth and marriage, prayers offered during harvesting and the cultural memory of communities whose identities are inseparable from aquatic life. However, the rivers, wetlands, and ponds that sustain these fish-human relationships are increasingly threatened by environmental contamination resulting from industrial discharge, agricultural runoff, and inadequate environmental management. Understanding how communities perceive these environmental changes is essential for developing effective conservation and public health strategies.

In collaboration between the Indian Institute of Technology (ITT) Kharagpur, India, and Michigan Technological University (USA), …

Land, Development, And Tribal Identity In India: The Heavy Engineering Corporation (Hec) And Tribal Land Acquisition, Nishka Malhotra, Anila Surin M.U.P., Niraj Verma Ph.D.

Undergraduate Research Posters

Tribal land in Jharkhand, India, has been cultivated for generations by Adivasis, one of the largest aboriginal tribes of India. After India’s independence in 1947, the government-owned Heavy Engineering Corporation (HEC) was established as a tomb to the industrial development of a new India. Land for the massive project came from acquiring large tracts of Adivasi land. Even in cases where compensation was paid, the social and cultural costs borne by Adivasis far exceeded the land's market value. Our research (a) traces this history of how the discourse of modernization and development was used to justify dispossession of land; (b) …

Enduring The American Dream, Edward Grattan

Capstones

Martha and Rene - both Colombian nationals – have made the difficult decision to self-deport from the United States in the midst of the Trump Administration’s unprecedented immigration crackdown and deportation campaign. After working as day laborers in The Hamptons, New York for nearly eight years, the couple shares their experience of leaving their current life behind as anti-immigrant rhetoric and policy escalates across the country.

The Trump administration has transformed the landscape for immigrants living in the United States, regardless of documentation status, by eliminating paths for legal residency, charging The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency with …

The Equity Dead Zones: Legal Intersectionality Failure Points In Chapter 13 Bankruptcy, Tearria N. Simmons

The Guardianship Journal

Legal intersectionality failure points describe the systemic fractures that occur where overlapping legal, social, and economic inequalities converge, potentially producing compounded barriers to relief. Each failure point marks a site of marginalization. In what ways do individuals already recognized as vulnerable in Chapter 13 bankruptcy face a heightened risk when multiple forms of disadvantage intersect? When these intersections combine in mutually reinforcing ways—racial, economic, and relational disparities colliding with structural deficiencies in family, property, and bankruptcy law—does it result in pronounced negative outcomes, and, if so, what are those outcomes? Within this convergence, could there be a space where compounded …

Beyond Gun Control: How March For Our Lives Frames Gun Violence Prevention As Positive Peace, Ashley E. Nickels, Amanda D. Clark

Peace and Conflict Studies

March for Our Lives (MFOL) is a youth-led social movement that has redefined the framing of gun violence prevention, expanding it beyond policy-focused gun control efforts to a broader vision of positive peace. Rather than positioning gun violence solely as a matter of firearm regulation, MFOL constructs it as a structural justice issue, linking it to systemic inequities such as racial oppression, economic inequality, and political disenfranchisement. This study examines how MFOL’s movement framing reshapes understandings of gun violence prevention by emphasizing community transformation, intersectional justice, and collective safety. Drawing on framing theory, we analyze how MFOL presents gun violence …