Sociology Commons^™

The Body Of The Terrorist In Contemporary Cinema, Robert Duggan, Páraic Finnerty

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

This article will explore the presentation of the body of the terrorist in a range of British and American films with a particular emphasis on how these films combine political and romantic plotlines. As part of a broad consideration of how the terrorist is presented, this essay will concentrate in particular on Cal (1984), The Crying Game (1992), The Dancer Upstairs (2002) and The Quiet American (2002). Rather than fully engage with the more complex discourse of politics, often these films ask audiences to conceptualize the transgressive figure of the terrorist through the very familiar vocabulary of love and sexual …

Terrorizing Bodies, Chris Gutierrez

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

Beginning with one single body painted by Gustave Courbet in 1866 and one temple destroyed on September 11th, this paper moves to consider the far reaching impact that the War on Terror has on the entire social body. By paying attention to the unknowable status of both the events and the perpetrators of terrorism, it will be argued that the overwhelming ambiguity of terrorism and counter-terrorist activity has allowed the War on Terror to return to prior discourses of racism and homophobia to mark the corporeal otherness it hopes to confront. Here, images from Abu Ghraib prison, joke pictures forwarded …

From Adulterous Gametes To Heterologous Nation: Tracing The Boundaries Of Reproduction In Italy, Milena Marchesi

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

This article traces discursive and political attempts to discipline the reproduction of the Italian nation by analyzing the approval of a controversial law disciplining access to new reproductive technologies (NRTs) in 2004. The restriction of new reproductive technologies in Italy reflects a contemporary re-negotiation of gender ideologies and a renewed ascendance of the Vatican in Italian politics and society. Although abortion remains legal in Italy, the NRT legislation recognizes the embryo as a subject while in political discourse demographic alarmism slides into warnings of social disintegration. The debate over the threat posed by technologically assisted reproduction to Italian families and …

Wealth And Achievement Gaps: An Examination Of Virginia Middle Schools, Paulette Natasha Richmond

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Studies

Achievement gaps, the focus of this research, result from unequal achievement and the variance in achievement existing between different segments of the student population, for example, the difference in achievement between minority students and non-minority students. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) focus on achievement gaps despite contradictory expressions about the efficacy of the act. The No Child Left Behind Act has created discussion and awareness of race, SES (economically advantaged and disadvantaged) and academic achievement.

There are conflicting beliefs about the impact of resources, funding and wealth on student achievement. This study …

Probation And Parole Officers Speak Out--Caseload And Workload Allocation, Matthew Demichele, Brian K. Payne

Sociology & Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

The article deals with the perceptions of the Probation and Parole Officers on making case load and workload decisions. Caseload is the number of offenders an officer supervised while the workload is the amount of time needed to accomplish a task. The American Probation and Parole Association (APPA) provides baseline data in assisting policy-makers to resolve caseload and workload allocation issues. According to the article, officials should establish a definite goal to diminish recidivism through research-based processes.

Teaching Parenting Skills In A Methadone Treatment Setting, Randy R. Gainey, Kevin P. Haggerty, Charles B. Fleming, Richard F. Catalano

Sociology & Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Family factors significantly affect children’s risk of substance abuse, delinquency, and other problem behaviors (Arthur, Hawkins, Pollard, Catalano, & Baglioni, 2002). Children of substance abusers represent a particularly high-risk population. Prenatal exposure to addictive substances and the medical complications that may arise are important factors that, from conception, place this population at high risk of drug abuse and other problem behaviors (Griffith, Azuma, & Chasnoff, 1994). As children of substance abusers mature, their lives are characterized by exposure to continued drug and alcohol abuse by family members, recurrent or chronic illnesses, frequent moves, financial troubles, legal conflicts, family disorganization, and …

Changes In Formal-Informal Caregiving In Elderly Stroke Survivors, Holly Anne Beard

Health Services Research Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to determine the extent to which the Andersen and Aday Model of Health Services Use to predict cross-sectional and longitudinal differences in the caregiving source among stroke survivors (n=477) over a six-year period. This study involves a secondary analysis of a longitudinal panel study focusing upon three waves of interview data from the HAS/AHEAD study spanning 1998 through 2002. Multinomial logistic regression was utilized to examine caregiving source cross-sectionally at each wave. Clustered multinomial logistic regression was used to examine relationships between predictor variables in the model and caregiving source across waves while holding …

Generational Differences Among Community College Students In Their Evaluation Of Academic Cheating, Kathleen E. Wotring

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

Values development is an important part of the mission of community colleges, and upholding academic integrity is one way in which colleges advance this mission. Community colleges serve a multigenerational student body, more diverse than most four-year institutions of higher education, and different generational cohort groups hold different values and attitudes. The purpose of this study was to determine whether community college students varied by generation in their evaluation of academic activities as cheating, and to further determine whether such variation interacted with demographic variables and the extent to which personal morality is grounded in a religious belief system. Based …

An Art Therapy Intervention To Help Military Children Cope With Parental Deployment, Eleanor Kai Lampell

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

Research regarding military children and their ability to cope with parental deployment is extensive. However, research dealing with art therapy and military children is limited. The purpose of this study was to explore the benefits of participating in group art therapy interventions for military children with a parent currently on deployment. Five group art therapy sessions were conducted with two military children with a parent currently in stage two of parental deployment. It was hypothesized that through participating in group art therapy, military children with a parent who is currently deployed would have a reduction of problematic behaviors in a …

Vital Tooth Whitening: Effects On Tooth Color Satisfaction, Beliefs About Dentofacial Appearance, And Self-Esteem In Older Adults, Kelly Marie Seeber

Dental Hygiene Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of vital tooth whitening on tooth color satisfaction, beliefs about dentofacial appearance, and self-esteem in a population 50 years of age and older. A two-group, randomized, pre-test, post-test, single-blind design was utilized following !RB-approval. Sixty-two participants were enrolled. Fifty-three participants (N=53) completed the study with no adverse events reported. Both the control and experimental groups received instructions for a threeweek oral self-care regimen, a toothbrush, toothpaste, and floss. The experimental group also received a tooth whitening product (independent variable) to be used during the same three-week period. Dependent variable measures …

On Roxana Robinson's Sweetwater, Bradley John Monsma

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

[First paragraph]

When Huck lights out for the territories at the end of his hopeless float down the river with Jim, it's already clear that his escape will solve nothing. The story he will become part of in the West is already one of multiple displacements moving fast toward the environmental catastrophe of the dust bowl. Yet long before the frontier was "closed," it inspired myths that would prove to be more persistent than its reality. Despite all evidence to the contrary, the West still represents the pure possibility to remake identity and to leave behind the corruption of Huck's …

Testing Social Disorganization As It Pertains To Prostitution, Wynter Leighanne Edwards

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

The impact of crime on the community has gained notoriety within the sociological field over the last twenty years. With growing citizen concern it is important to understand the impact of crimes rates on communities. Social disorganization theory focuses on the relationship between crime and the community, however, little research has been done on social disorganization theory as it relates to victimless crimes such as prostitution. It is important to understand how variables derived from social disorganization theory explain levels of prostitution across neighborhoods. This is important because victimless crimes such as prostitution often act as precursors to greater crime …

A Cross-Cultural Study Of Epistemological Beliefs And Moral Reasoning Between American And Chinese College Students, Zhongtang Ren

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Studies

This study investigated the cultural differences of epistemological beliefs and moral reasoning between American and Chinese college students (N=452) recruited from three universities, Old Dominion University in the eastern United States, Luoyang Normal University in the central China and Central University for Nationalities in northern China. A series of factorial MANOVA was conducted to explore the influence of gender, ethnicity and nationality as the independent variables on epistemological beliefs measured with five EBI (Epistemological Beliefs Inventory) scores and moral reasoning measured with two DIT (Defining Issues Test) scores as dependent variables.

No effects were found for gender and …

Professional Outcomes Of Eastern Virginia Medical School Art Therapy Graduates, Heather Tyng

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

In 1982, Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) awarded the first art therapy graduate with a Master’s Degree. Since then there have been 202 graduates through 2004.

The EVMS art therapy program has had no detailed or current information regarding the professional outcomes of its alumni. This lack of information created a need to survey EVMS art therapy graduates to determine how their careers have progressed to this point.

A survey was designed to investigate the professional outcomes of the EVMS art therapy alumni and to determine their opinions of the strengths and weaknesses of the EVMS art therapy curriculum. Of …

Art Therapists’ Response To Countertransference: An Exploratory Study, Rachael Smith

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

This qualitative study explored five practicing art therapists’ common countertransferential reactions and the methods used to attend to their countertransference. Data was collected by recorded interviews, which were reviewed and transcribed using the note-and-quote method. The content was analyzed according to theoretical constructs of The Countertransference Questionnaire, Index of Countertransference Behaviors, and Racker (1968). Disengaged countertransferential reactions were reported most often, followed by special/overinvolved and helpless/inadequate. The researcher found art making a valuable tool for proper identification of countertransference. Themes of decreasing the intensity of countertransference and personal/professional development were motivations for attending to countertransference. This study suggests that identifying …

Perceptions Of Art Therapy As Portrayed Through The Media, Heidi Torres

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to understand the perception of art therapy as portrayed through the media. Two studies were conducted with two facilitated via online surveys and one focus group. All participants were college students from Eastern Virginia Medical School and Old Dominion University. A sample of 14 volunteers participated. It was hypothesized that adolescents from both groups would use art as an effective and desirable means of personal communication and expression.

Results are based on qualitative analysis of data from two questionnaires, pre and post, which included perceptions toward art therapy prior to viewing media sources and …

Producing Norms: Same-Sex Marriage, Refiguring Kinship And The Cultural Groundswell Of Queer Coupledom, Rob Cover

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

Poststructuralist feminism, postmodern inquiry, queer theory and various radical and liberal-humanist forms of lesbian/gay rights have worked to undo the claim to the naturalness of masculine-feminine and male-female complementarity in sex and relationships. That is, the rhetorical grounding of the very notion of relationship ‘coupledom’ has been put in question over the past half-century and opened the possibility of a radical reorganisation of modern kinship. The destabilising impact on much contemporary western legislation concerning family, children, IVF access, adoption, immigration rights and social security centers on whether or not the subject of that legislation is ‘single’ or ‘coupled’. Such legislation …

The Phenomenology Of Nonidentity And Theatrical Presence In M. Butterfly, William S. Haney Ii

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

David Henry Hwang’s postmodernist play M. Butterfly, abounds with alienation devices for deconstructing the notion of a unified subject. This essay, however, seeks to challenge the assumed poststructuralist vantage-point that the self and the metaphysics of presence are illusory by exploring what holds the play's identities together as dynamic matrices that function coherently within their discursive contexts. How tenable is the constructivist claim that our shifting subject positions designated by power relations are self-sustaining, that the self does not in fact extend beyond the material tokens of narrative conventions and discursive fields? Even if performers and audience can shift …

Pedagogy, Ideology, And Space In The Classical Anarchist Conception Of Freedom, Michael Vastola

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

This article attempts to understand the term “freedom” through a comparative analysis of how it was mobilized in various anarchist texts from the nineteenth century. Such an analysis helps to differentiate the anarchist conception from its mainstream liberal and libertarian variants. This is accomplished with the aid of a broad spatial framework in which incommensurable notions of space and spatiality are clarified. Likewise, the framework demonstrates the extent to which popular assumptions about pedagogy from the anarchist tradition are based on a contradictory recognition of ideal educational practices. Such practices often utilize a propaganda model that is in many respects …

Not Only A Consequence Of Power, But Also One Of Its Strategies: An Interview With Lorna Rhodes, Matthew Wolf-Meyer, Lorna Rhodes

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

[Introduction]

In 2004 Lorna Rhodes published Total Confinement: Madness and Reason in the Maximum Security Prison as part of the University of California Press’s Public Anthropology series. This ethnographic manuscript – supplemented by a number of articles – took as its object of anthropological analysis the supermax prison system in Washington State. In so doing, Rhodes brought to the fore questions of power and agency as they are shaped by prison officials, prisoners, psychiatrists, and other stakeholders in the state-run prison system. In the following, Rhodes discusses her current research, American culture, and her views on academia and ethnography with …

On Chris Lehmann's Revolt Of The Masscult, George Ciccariello Maher

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

[First paragraph]

The good folks at Prickly Paradigm are certainly doing their job. Their stated objective is “publishing challenging and sometimes outrageous pamphlets,” and Lehmann's short piece fulfills this claim brilliantly, evoking intellectual mood swings that span from shouting for joy at a particularly lucid formulation to shouting angrily at the deftness with which Lehmann transforms his lucidity into suspiciously wrongheaded and reactionary assessments. The clinical bipolarity of this work, as we will see, is no coincidence: it is precisely the political entanglement of the subject of mass culture (“masscult”) that leads to both respect for one's opponents and suspicion …

Review Of The Louisiana Project, By Carrie Mae Weems, Larry M. Taylor

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

No abstract provided.

"Does It Take One To Know One?" A Comparison Of Police Recruits' And Sergeants' Perceptions Of A Good Police Officer, Kara K. Hoofnagle

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

Police departments strive to hire good officers. However, there is difficulty in defining what constitutes a good police officer. The literature is rife in defining what constitutes a good police officer and characteristics indicative of a good officer. Past research suggests that characteristics of a good police officer may be more than the characteristic itself and that officers' may form their perception of what characteristics good officers harbor based on socialization, the police subculture, and the official police organization.

As such, this study sought to explore the following research question: What differences, if any, exist between police recruits' and sergeants' …

Brain Drain Or Gain: Migration Of Knowledge Workers From India To The United States, Anjali Sahay

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation looks at the topic of brain drain from a new lens. It departs from the traditional literature to include discussion on brain gain and brain circulation using Indian migration to the United States as case study. While it cannot be denied that host countries have policies that encourage or provide the necessary conditions for brain drain to take place, it must be taken into account that many source countries now benefit from out-migration of their workers and students. These are usually measured as remittances, investments and savings associated with return, and network approaches that, with a connectionist approach, …

Factors That Influence Domestic Violence Convictions In "No Drop Policy" Trials, Kim D. Akinyanju

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors that significantly influence conviction rates in domestic violence no drop policy trials. Literature heavily supports the position that factors.-such as physical evidence, police officer testimony, and cooperative victim testimony can help prosecutors increase conviction rates. This research utilizes data collected by Smith et al. (2001) on domestic violence trials in four cities that have implemented the no drop policy. Analyses revealed that various types of physical evidence do not significantly influence convictions in no drop policy trials. Cooperative victim testimony, however, does significantly influence conviction rates and in addition significantly …

The Floating Population And Crime In Contemporary China, Jonathan Wade Lopez

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

Since the late 70's in China there has been a dramatic increase in both the floating population and criminal activity. Members of the floating population, numbering between 79 and 145 million, live apart from their place of official permanent household registration (hukou) and are ineligible for the state-sanctioned social and economic benefits which accompany permanent hukou status. Although the literature and the media suggest that the floating population is to blame for the marked increase in criminal activity, few statistical studies examine the relationship between these two phenomena. This study used data from an extensive population based survey conducted in …

Collegiate Employers Preferred Characteristics In Potential Job Candidates, Amber S. Landis

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify specific characteristics collegiate employers prefer in potential athletic training job candidates. A secondary purpose was to determine any relationships or differences in employer preferences based on characteristics of the employer or demographics of the institution. A survey instrument was developed to gather background information about the employer and hiring institution, rate the preferences of employers and collect information about the candidate who was actually hired. The instrument was piloted among survey experts and employers who had recently hired an athletic trainer at the college setting and the survey was considered reliable. Email …

Service With Friends: The Influence Of Peer Interactions And Emotions In Community Service Experiences, Jennifer Jill Kidd

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

Community service has increasingly become part of students' educational experience. It is seen both as a stand alone requirement and as a core component integrated into course objectives. Much has been learned about the effects of community service on students, but there remain unanswered questions. This study compares four structures of mandatory community service differing in the amount of peer and faculty interaction. It also examines the influence of students' emotional reactions to community service experiences. The participants for the study are college freshmen enrolled in a required environmental course. Hierarchical regressions are utilized to explore the influences of community …

Traumatic Experiences Contributing To Juvenile Delinquency: A Look At Gender Differences, Alexis L. Correia

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

This study investigates the following two research questions: To what extent, if any, do traumatic experiences contribute to juvenile delinquency? To what extent, if any, does gender affect the relationship between trauma and juvenile delinquency? The extent of trauma was reviewed to include various studies relating to the impact trauma has on juveniles. Robert Agnew's General Strain Theory provided support for the differences that exist between males and females when it comes to trauma contributing to juvenile delinquency. Gender differences in emotional response to strain were reviewed, focusing on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The data that provided support for the …

A Macro-Level Analysis Of Divorce Rates And Juvenile Violent Crime And Drug Abuse In Virginia, Bianca Maria Conn

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

With one out of every two marriages statistically doomed to fail, we must ask ourselves: how does this affect children? This thesis examines the relationship between divorce rates in the 135 cities and counties in Virginia and rates of juvenile violent crime and drug abuse. Social disorganization, used as a main source of reference in this study, is helpful in understanding how divorce affects juveniles at the community level. Family disruption, due to parental divorce, supports the notion that there is less juvenile supervision in the home and in effect the community, which leads to juvenile delinquency.

The three different …