Social Justice Commons^™

Reflections In Practice, Joshua William Erickson

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

This portfolio narrative documents my professional development through the Master of Social Work program at the University of Montana. It discusses how I've developed my skills through practicum sites at Youth Villages and the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) at Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) as well as coursework spanning from clinical practice, policy analysis, program evaluation, and community organizing. Using the Five Elements of Advanced Integrated Practice and all ten CSWE competencies as an organizing structure, clinical skills with adolescents, families, and older adults are reflected on. Growth in macro-level practice, program evaluation, and interdisciplinary leadership is …

Who Gets To Be Taken Seriously? Three Atypical Scholars Navigate Doctoral Education At The Intersections Of Race, Neurodivergence, And Veteran Identity, Sr. Richard De La Garza

Dissertations

As a first-generation, neurodivergent, Mexican American/Chicano veteran, I entered the University of San Diego's doctoral program having had experiences that most institutional intake processes would label as risk factors. The Findings chapter of this dissertation begins by describing those experiences—not as a confession, but as the foundation for a systematic inquiry into how doctoral legitimacy is produced, withheld, and defended. The description of my life experiences is followed by a discussion of the doctoral journeys of two other study participants who also were atypical doctoral candidates.

The central argument being advanced is this: What higher education calls "fit," "rigor," and …

Built For This: An Autoethonographic Study Of A Journey Through Leadership Rooted In Reflection, Resilience, And Reinvention, Weslie Etienne

Educational Studies Dissertations

This qualitative autoethnographic study examined how leadership was experienced, enacted, and sustained by a Black woman navigating district-level leadership within predominantly White institutional contexts. Grounded in Critical Race Theory, Intersectionality, and Black Feminist Thought, this research centered lived experience as a site of knowledge production and employed longitudinal journaling and artifact analysis to capture leadership development as a temporal, relational, and embodied process. The study was guided by three research questions: (1) How did race, gender, and institutional structures shape leadership development and experience? (2) How were leadership identities constructed, negotiated, and sustained through self-authored narratives? and (3) How could …

Lgbtqia+ Inclusion In K-12 Education: A Systematized Review Of U.S. South Atlantic Region Educational Policy, Benjamin Little

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

LGBTQIA+ students experience disproportionate rates of discrimination, bullying, and mental health challenges within their educational settings, while educational policies shaping school climate vary considerably across jurisdictions. The purpose of this systematized review was to identify trends in the structure and implementation of LGBTQIA+ inclusion policies across K-12 state-level public education systems within the U.S. South Atlantic region and to examine how these policies addressed the needs of transgender youth and LGBTQIA+ students of color. This review synthesized publicly available state education documents, legislative materials, and nonprofit policy reports using a systematized review methodology guided by PRISMA principles and qualitative theme …

A Plague On Both Your Houses: Archetypes Of Political Choice, Martin Zwick

Complex Systems Faculty Publications and Presentations

In times of political polarization, we are well-advised to heed Spinoza’s injunction, “Not to lament, not to curse, but to understand.” Understanding can be facilitated by ideas about the archetypal structures of political choice. This paper offers a systems theoretic analysis of a set of such archetypes focusing solely on their structures and not advocating any specific political positions. The primary question that must be answered is whether available or desirable political choices are dyadic or triadic, and if dyadic, whether the two alternatives of the dyad should be viewed as good versus bad or as complementary.  Various modes of …

Beyond The Individual: Exploring Structural Explanations Of Homelessness Through Thematic Analysis Of Extant Research, Madison R. Mcclain

Senior Theses

This thesis examines how homelessness is defined, explained, and addressed within contemporary U.S. research using Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Intersectionality as guiding frameworks. Through a qualitative, deductive thematic analysis of 16 peer-reviewed articles, this study identifies six key themes related to structural causation, policy governance, measurement practices, racial inequality, dominant narratives, and intersecting systems of disadvantage. Findings reveal that while structural explanations of homelessness are widely acknowledged, they are inconsistently defined and often insufficiently theorized. Institutional systems primarily function to manage rather than resolve homelessness, while measurement practices and definitions actively shape who is recognized and prioritized. Additionally, structural …

Decolonizing Restorative Justice: A Teaching Development Project, Lacy Felice Mitchell

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The coloniality of power serves as a central axis within the matrix of domination that characterizes global capitalist modernity, as Anibal Quijano famously argued. This power is rooted in particular ways of looking, seeing, and understanding social reality, anchored in Eurocentrism as an epistemological paradigm for the hegemonic discourse produced by the West against both internal and external categories of “other.” Such categories still inform the production of knowledge in educational settings. In this project, I engage in a critique of the coloniality of power to explore its implications and potential for critical pedagogical practice within the context of sociology …

Advancing Ethical Innovation In Human–Ai Collaboration: Trust And Legitimacy In Technology-Mediated Teams, Sanket Ramchandra Patole

Human Resource Development Theses and Dissertations

Human Resource Development (HRD) confronts a central paradox in the digital age. The technologies designed to broaden access to learning and collaboration often reproduce the same social hierarchies that HRD seeks to challenge. Artificial intelligence (AI), digital collaboration platforms, and algorithmic management are widespread features of organizational life. Yet these systems do not generate inclusive outcomes for all workers. Women of Color (WoC), situated at the intersection of racialized, gendered, and technological structures, experience digital transformation as both possibility and constraint. They encounter opaque decision systems, diminished authority in virtual teams, and digitally-mediated microaggressions, while also developing new capacities for …

Truth, Trials, And Triumphs Of The Tenure Journey: Faculty Of Color In Higher Education, Derrick E. Crim

The Journal of Advancing Education Practice

Faculty of Color (FOC) face tough challenges when it comes to earning tenure and promotions. Problems like systemic inequities and biased evaluations make it harder for institutions to uphold trust and fully benefit from the diversity FOC bring. These faculty members often bring fresh perspectives shaped by their unique journeys, enriching academic spaces. Fitting into the exclusive social circles and culture of academia takes a lot of resilience and confidence. Further, issues like isolation, tokenism, and racism make things even tougher. Isolation stems from the lack of representation and supportive communities, while tokenism creates extra service demands without proper recognition. …

Intersectionality In The Maze Of Oppression: A Feminist Criminology Analysis Of Systematic Vulnerability And Exploitation Of Indonesian Women Trafficked To Cambodia, Reza Anugrah, Lifiana Alanisya Mutaharina

Jurnal Kriminologi Indonesia

This study explores the vulnerability of Indonesian women to the crime of human trafficking in Cambodia, analyzing its structural and patriarchal roots. Employing a qualitative methodology through literature review, the paper delineates how socio-economic disparities and limited employment opportunities in Indonesia drive women toward illegal job offers that ultimately result in exploitation. Human trafficking syndicates exploit traditional gender constructs and manipulate identities to entrap victims, even involving women as alleged perpetrators. Criminological and legal analyses reveal a shift toward more complex forms of transnational crime, exacerbated by the use of digital technology. Although the Law of the Republic of Indonesia …

Everyday Life In The U.S.: An Intersectional Approach To A North Korean Refugee Woman’S Identities, And Experiences, Lyounghee Kim

Communication ETDs

This dissertation examines everyday experiences of a North Korean refugee woman in the U.S., centering her narratives as sites of critique, resistance, and meaning-making. Grounded in Critical Refugee Studies, Asian American Studies, and Critical Intercultural Communication and framed by intersectionality, it explores how interlocking structures of power shape and are shaped by her life. Rather than focusing solely on trauma or assimilation, this study highlights her digital storytelling, faith, and mutual aid practices as acts of survival, dignity, and moral agency. Using a qualitative, narrative inquiry approach grounded in critical reflexivity, it thematically analyzes her stories to reveal how she …

Intersectional Analysis Of Vaccination Inequity Among Individuals With Disabilities In The United States During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Philip Ndoki, Heba M. Athar, David O. Anderson

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

We investigated how disability status, types, sociodemographic indicators, and reasons for not receiving vaccinations influenced COVID-19 vaccination rates among individuals with disabilities in the United States. Despite efforts, vaccination disparities persisted, necessitating a nuanced understanding of the barriers to vaccination. Using intersectionality theory and the social determinants of health framework, we examined the impact of marginalized identities and structural inequalities. Key questions included the association between disability status and vaccination uptake, differences among disability types moderated by sociodemographic factors, and the interaction between disability status and reasons for not vaccinating. We used Household Pulse Survey data from the U.S. Census …

Becoming A Beloved Community: A Restorative Reckoning For A Radical Conversion To Transform Discourse In Higher Education, Latasha Tomay Varlack-Butler

Dissertations

This dissertation critically examines the misappropriation of Restorative Justice Discourse (RJD) within three predominantly white institutions (PWIs), analyzing 59 institutional documents through Critical Discourse Analysis, Relational Critical Discourse Analysis, and Rhetorical Criticism (Fairclough, 1995; Vaandering, 2021; van Dijk, 2008). Tribal Colleges and Universities and South African institutions have emerged as exemplars of authentic RJD, countering co-optation within PWIs. The findings demonstrate that RJD as applied in PWIs is framed in ways that attenuate its transformative potential, perpetuating color-evasiveness (Bonilla-Silva, 2017) and obscuring the intersectional experiences of Black, Indigenous, and disabled communities (Crenshaw, 1991; Million, 2009).

Grounded in decolonial praxis (Smith, …

Exploring The Experience Of Embodiment Of Diverse Leaders, Susan Lynn Flaming Yeats

Dissertations

The experience of embodiment is a complex phenomenon that spans a range of feelings: a sense of connection to one's physical body, a sense of capability to accomplish certain physical acts, an attunement to self-care behaviors, a connection to desire, and inhabiting the body as a subjective site (Piran, 2016). This can be a complicated experience for leaders who hold multiple intersecting identities (Hill et al., 2016). As new medical therapies promise radical weight loss possibilities, the experience of embodiment has taken on a new layer of complexity (Giorgis, 2024). For fat leaders who are also women of color, sexual …

Intersectionality In Tennis (Wta) Sports Media, Emily Stoner

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

This “applied knowledge” project investigates and observes intersectionality in tennis sports media via the women’s professional tour (WTA). Intersectionality in Tennis (WTA) Sports Media analyzes how intersectionality as a concept and social justice lens impacts and is impacted by media. By considering intersectional identities and their implications in sports media narratives and coverage, this piece displays some telling patterns and perpetuations.

At the professional level, tennis certainly does not garner the most profit or attention, but it provides a unique world of intersecting identities, cultures, geography and tradition. This work aims to shed light on the state of sports media, …

Breaking Barriers: Addressing Mental Health Disparities In Transgender Communities, Lauren Pettite

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study explores the impact of barriers to gender-affirming care (GAC) on the mental health outcomes of transgender individuals using a mixed-methods secondary data analysis. Drawing on an existing dataset originally collected by California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB) faculty in collaboration with the Transgender Health and Wellness Center (THWC), this research examines both quantitative survey data and qualitative open-ended responses from transgender participants in Southern California. This study focuses on how healthcare access issues—particularly those related to insurance coverage, provider discrimination, and systemic inequities—affect reported experiences of depression, anxiety, PTSD, and suicidality.

This research is guided by intersectionality theory …

Empowerher:A Digital Mosaic Celebrating Six Black Feminist Icons, Jessica M. Mcguire

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

Abstract

EmpowerHer: A Digital Mosaic of Six Black Feminist Icons is a research project that explores the lives and work of Angela Davis, Patricia Hill-Collins, bell hooks, Sojourner Truth, Audre Lorde, and Anna Julia Cooper. This digital project expands our knowledge of feminist theory beyond the women's words to encompass information about their education, work, motivations, and areas of focus. It also expounds on why they are important and highlights their accomplishments. This project was completed by researching these women’s lives, primarily with the use of biographies, journal articles, and online resources. In addition to the narrative provided for each …

Promoting Equity: Embracing Food Justice In The Transformation Of The Food Systems For Bipoc Communities, Frank Yeboah Adusei

Journal of Extension

The food justice movement addresses systemic food inequities impacting BIPOC communities, rooted in civil rights and environmental justice movements. It advocates for fair access to culturally relevant food, combating food deserts, and promoting food sovereignty. Recognizing intersectionality, it emphasizes collaboration to dismantle systemic barriers. This study aims to understand BIPOC communities' challenges and effective strategies, stressing the importance of collaborative efforts for lasting systemic change. Extension professionals face challenges but can contribute through equity-focused strategies, community engagement, and partnerships, advancing food justice and fostering inclusive food systems.

Housing Quality For Whom? Housing Quality As A Form Of Housing Insecurity And Housing Inequality For Black Women Renters, Jenee Lee

Theses and Dissertations

Housing quality is an often overlooked but critical aspect of housing insecurity that often impacts one’s well-being physically, mentally, and socially. As a compromise for affordable housing, some individuals reside in substandard conditions, often lacking essential safety measures and amenities needed for a comfortable and secure living environment. Consistent with broader patterns of housing disparities, Black women renters are disproportionately affected by housing insecurity and more likely to live in substandard housing. Although previous literature has explored the impact of poor-quality housing and its characteristics, there is a gap in understanding how Black women renters uniquely perceive and experience housing …

Alternative Visions Of Swedish State Feminism, Lukas Bullock

Theses and Dissertations--Gender and Women's Studies

Sweden has been lifted as a prominent example of a successful feminist policy enactor, and has built credibility as a humanitarian actor both domestically and transnationally. Simultaneously, intersectionally marginalized groups have attested to patterns of social exclusion and feelings of political disenfranchisement in Swedish society, calling into question Sweden’s reputation for feminist exceptionalism. This dissertation project centers on unpacking this dynamic by examining how Swedish gender equality policymaking institutions design and implement feminist policy, and how those efforts are interpreted and contested by intersectionally marginalized groups of Afro-Swedish feminist activists. Drawing from a mixed-methods framework that includes feminist ethnography (interviews, …

Exploring The Stem Career Identity Development Of Black Women Across Their Lifespan, Veronica Hurd

Theses and Dissertations

Although STEM is the fastest-growing career sector, Black women are grossly underrepresented as they account for 2.5% of the workforce. Research highlights that this underrepresentation is due to racialized structures in K-12, postsecondary, and career settings that restrict Black girls’ and women’s STEM opportunities. While macrosystems such as hegemonic ideologies, attitudes, and social conditions shape Black girls’ and women’s opportunities in STEM, they continue to persist and achieve their career goals. To explore these barriers and Black women’s persistence in this industry, this study draws from the autobiographical memories of 10 Black women in the field or formerly in the …

Equal For Whom?: An Analysis Of Multicultural Policies In Norway And The Us Through The Lens Of Immigrant Unemployment, Jodie Boisvert

Journal of Multicultural Affairs

Norway and the United States boast diverse and equal societies. Both have attempted to implement multicultural policies to facilitate immigrants' integration into the host society. Engaging with the theories of racism, xenophobia, and multiculturalism, this paper analyzes the immigrant unemployment outcomes from Norway and the United States from 2015-2020 to identify patterns and anticipate causal relationships from these patterns. Standardized data from both countries show that immigrants from Global South countries have far worse employment outcomes than immigrants from Global North countries. The xenophobic and racist histories of both countries could explain this. This paper analyzes the multicultural policies of …

Examining The Impact Of Workplace Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion Programs On Marginalized Groups: A Focus On Lgbtqia Employees, Lisa Garcia Rodriguez

Theses & Dissertations

Research Focus. The research aims to understand the experience of LGBTQIA individuals in the workplace and identify strategies for promoting their inclusion. The study will draw on prior research and best practices for promoting the inclusion of individuals in the workplace to contribute to the development of more inclusive work environments that benefit both employees and organizations. Examining the impact of workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) on marginalized groups, the question to be answered is: What are the impacts of diversity, equity, and inclusion DEI initiatives in the workplace, and how can organizations create more equitable and inclusive environments? …

How Housing Insecurity And Welfare Systems Retraumatize Women In Southern California, Yesika Menera

McNair Summer Research Program

Studies show that individuals experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity also experience trauma and mental illnesses. Despite this evidence, many resources provided through state welfare services seldom allocate sufficient funds and personnel to help address mental health. This study investigates the relationship between housing insecurity and trauma for adult women who have tried to access assistance throughout Southern California. To do this, I conducted in-depth interviews and DSM-5 questionnaires with twenty-six women during the summer of 2023 and 2024 via Zoom. My findings show that adult women who have experienced homelessness and housing insecurity in Southern California were more susceptible to …

African American Women’S Experience With Invisibility And Hypervisibility In The Workplace: Does It Matter To Career Advancement?, Elisha R. Peters

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Black women continue to be underrepresented in senior leadership positions in the workplace although they are the most educated in the workplace. This study explores the lived experience of African American women who work for the federal sector and their career advancement into leadership and managerial positions. A qualitative method was used, and the participants consisted of Black women who worked for the federal sector who had either promoted to a leadership position within the last 3 to 5 years or aspired to be in a leadership position.

Interviews were conducted via Zoom, and in vivo coding was used to …

Shattering The Mask: Unveiling The Destructive Force Of Misogynoir, Ledominique Hubbard

Dissertations

As a Black woman, my professional journey has been consistently marred by encounters with racism and gender bias. In this research, I employed autoethnography to shed light on my experiences and meticulously examine the challenges of misogynoir I faced while holding pivotal positions, including that of a detested team leader, an ingenious instructional teacher, and an anti-racist assistant principal across three distinct school campuses in two states. My narrative unfolds in various contexts, notably as the sole Black female teacher and team leader within nine elementary schools in a predominantly white, female-staffed rural district. Furthermore, I underscore my role as …

Shake Ya Ass, But Watch Yourself: An Intersectional And Decolonial Approach To Exploring The Sexualization Of Female Recording Artists And The Empowerment Of Women In The United States, H.B. Rebeka

Dissertations

This dissertation, titled Shake Ya Ass, But Watch Yourself: An Intersectional and Decolonial Approach to Exploring the Sexualization of Female Recording Artists and the Empowerment of Women in the United States, critically examines the phenomenon of sexualization of women in the music industry and its impact on female empowerment. Through an intersectional and decolonial feminist lens, the study delves into the historical and socio-cultural contexts that shape the portrayal and perception of female recording artists in the United States.

The research traces the roots of feminism and the commodification of racial stereotypes through music, exploring how female empowerment has been …

In My Softest & Most Liberatory Dreams: Reflections On Holding Complexity & Decentering Whiteness, Richard C. Clark

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

As the world contends with a global pandemic, climate catastrophes, white supremacy, coloniality, and concurrent genocides my attention splinters. In an act of futurity, or future making, I ask myself: What is needed to move from this place toward softer, more liberatory futures? This body of work finds its answer in exploring two interrelated concepts: Decentering Whiteness and Holding Complexity. Decentering Whiteness is the process of working toward a future where all the personal, spiritual, educational, epistemological, social, structural, psychological, financial, and systemic ties to white supremacy are unraveled. Holding Complexity weaves together knowledges of care, accountability, intersectionality, and …

Borderland Voices: Exploring The Educational Journey Of Transfronterizx Students, Families, And Educators For Enhanced Engagement And Empowerment, Sobeida Velazquez

Dissertations

Transfronterizx students and their families cross the U.S.–Mexico border for academic, economic, social, cultural, and linguistic reasons. Socioeconomic disparities, deportation, and work have propelled some families to live in Mexico and enroll their U.S.-born children in U.S. schools to provide more socioeconomic opportunities in the United States. Educators of transfronterizx students are uniquely tasked to work with these nontraditional students. Moreover, transfronterizx students and their families have distinct needs in U.S. schools; as such, there is a need for further research on the transfronterizx experience in the U.S. K–12 system. This qualitative narrative inquiry study aimed to understand the experiences …

Envisioning Our Ecological Futures. Diffracting Creative Expressions., Mariam Ismail

Masters Theses, 2020-current

This thesis delves into the realm of eco-art, examining its multifaceted role in informing, educating, and mobilizing audiences towards sustainable environmental practices. Through an interdisciplinary lens that intertwines environmentalism, critical explorations of the anthropocene, ecofeminism, Indigenous knowledge, and social justice, this research investigates various themes, approaches, and methodologies employed by eco-artists. Utilizing a diffractive methodology, I acknowledge and respect these concepts’ contextual and theoretical differences while exploring their relationality to one another and to the artworks. By recognizing these entangled relationships, the diffractive framework creates and re-creates ‘research assemblages’ that shift away from conventional anthropocentric or representational methods of interpretation, …