Sociology Commons^™

The Majlis Metamorphosis: Virtues Of Local Traditional Environmental Design In A Contemporary Context, Shaikha Almahmoud

Theses and Dissertations

In the Arabian Gulf countries, the majlis is a central part of the house. The most public space within it, the majlis represents the household’s occupants to society and its social and economic status. As the house reflects culture and civilization, so the family is understood as a micro-level society of individuals raised in its institutions. Hence, the house is a manifestation of family structure, religious beliefs, and individual needs and desires, reflecting the family’s economic, cultural, and social backgrounds and aspirations. The majlis offers a unique space in Arab societies, articulating cultural and social factors that directly impact identity …

Socioeconomic Status And Weight Loss Behaviors, Hannah Seward

Theses and Dissertations

In the United States and many other countries, obesity is viewed as a public health crisis that must be handled. Many social and individual solutions to the problem are proposed in research and policy. On an individual level, many Americans try to get rid of their fat with a multitude of weight loss practices as part of a healthy lifestyle. Obesity rates, feelings towards fatness, and weight control behaviors are significantly affected by a number of sociocultural factors. In this project I explore the relationship between the desire to lose weight and weight control practices with income. Using data from …

Acknowledgements: Richmond, Race And Regionalism, Richmond Peace Education Center

Richmond, Race and Regionalism

Acknowledgements of contributors to Richmond, Race and Regionalism video project, sponsored by the Richmond Peace Education Center and funded by Virginia Commonwealth University Department of Educational Leadership.

Cultural Appropriation Of The Plains Native American Headdress In The 21st Century By Middle-To-Upper Class American Non-Indians, Marisa Wood

UROP Posters

My research addresses the cultural appropriation of the Plains’ Native American headdress by middle to upper class American non-Indians belonging to the hipster subculture. The hipster subculture appropriates minority cultures while also receiving the benefits of the majority culture to which they belong. The hipster subculture is influenced by a generally limited knowledge of Native American culture and the trends pressed by corporations. Native Americans also contribute to stereotype continuation in order to make money.

I reviewed six journal articles addressing culture appropriation in fashion, spirituality and stereotypes as well as six journal articles addressing the relationship between identity and …

Food Landscapes: A Case Study Of A Cooking And Art- Focused Program For Teens Living In A Food Desert, Jessica R. Norris

Theses and Dissertations

This study constructs themes and propositions about the experiences of youth participants in the fall 2013 Food Landscapes program at the Neighborhood Resource Center in Richmond, Virginia. During the program, youth participated in cooking-based volunteerism with adults with disabilities and created short videos about their experiences. In this study, I analyzed pre- and post-program participant interviews, twice-weekly program observations, and facilitator reflections to understand how Food Landscapes affected youths’ conception of community engagement and communication strategies. This case study offers insight into how youth experience after-school programming of this design. Based on my findings, youth develop and rely upon a …

Barriers For Foreign-Born Students In Elite Post-Secondary Education In The United States, Charmian Lam

Theses and Dissertations

Foreign-born students complete college at a lower rate when compared to native-born students. It is essential to examine both the known and latent barriers that prevent foreign-born students from successfully completing the first four years of college. The purpose of this study is to assess the applicability of Bourdieuian notions of capital in explaining the discrepancy in educational attainment between foreign-born and native born students. The data is from the 1999 National Longitudinal Survey of Freshmen (n=3176), a survey designed to test various theoretical explanations for minority underachievement in higher education. Stepwise regressions were used to determine the individual impact …

The Relationship Between Mother's Level Of Education And Parent Involvement, Meagan Rawls

Theses and Dissertations

Despite an extensive body of literature on the relationship between parents’ education and a child’s academic outcomes, there is considerably less research into the factors that influence parent involvement. The purpose of this study is to examine the correlates associated with parent involvement with their child inside and outside of school. I use Pierre Bourdieu's theory of the Forms of Capital and Habitus, specifically focusing on cultural capital, to frame my analysis. I use data from the 2007 National Household Education Survey of Parent and Family Involvement (n=10,628), a nationally representative sample, to examine if mother’s level of education is …

Do It Yourself: A Content Analysis Of Free Pornographic Tube Sites, Jill Kubichan

Theses and Dissertations

In 2008 it was reported that there are approximately 28,258 internet users viewing pornography every second, and that men look at pornography online more than any other subject matter (Eberstadt 2009). Pornography has become a primary tool of sex education for young men (Bowater 2011) with the average age of first exposure being age 11 (Stefan 2012). However, research on viewer understanding and interpretation of the images is scarce. What are boys learning about sexuality as they watch pornography? Do they use pornography as a ‘how-to’ manual expressing a desire to mimic the onscreen act or do they use pornography …

Racial/Ethnic Differences In Fatality Rates From Motor Vehicle Crashes: An Analysis From A Behavioral And Cultural Perspective, Huda Hamdan

Theses and Dissertations

Ethnic/racial minorities in the United States are overrepresented in fatalities from motor vehicle crashes (MVC). Growing evidence indicates that there are differences among racial/ethnic groups in risk of involvement in fatal crashes. Based on previous research, numerous factors may be involved in high racial/ethnic fatality rates from MVCs, including failure to use safety equipment, driving while under the influence of alcohol/drug, red light running, and speeding. Using data from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) and the FR300P Police Crash Report, this project explores differences in variables associated with traffic safety behavior and traffic law obedience between non-White …

The Role Of Doctor-Patient Race Concordance In U.S. Health Disparities, Sarah Simon

Theses and Dissertations

It has been established that much of the disparity in health outcomes between blacks and whites can be explained by accounting for education and income. Once education and income have been taken into consideration, research has found racial disparities in health outcomes for low-income populations are small, and in some cases no longer significant. For middle and upper income populations, however, a significant racial disparity in health outcomes persists even after accounting for education and income. Seeking to explain this variation, I analyze the literature concerning health disparities, race and class, the prevalence and distribution of black physicians, and issues …

The Growth Of Single-Sex Schools: Federal Policy Meets Local Needs And Interests, Katherine Cumings Mansfield

Educational Leadership Publications

Changes to Title IX allowing the growth of single-sex schools have garnered media attention promoting the benefits of separating boys and girls. Alternately, civil rights groups such as the ACLU continue to oppose any type of school segregation. Within this context, a private philanthropy, the Foundation for the Education of Young Women (FEYW) has established public-private partnerships with six Texas school districts to open all-girls’ public college prep magnet schools with plans to expand. This multi-year ethno-historical case study explores the meaning making of one community in the FEYW network as it attempts to make sense of federal policy at …

Ethnicity And Gender Comparisons Of Health Consequences In Adults With Alcohol Dependence, Karen G. Chartier, Michie N. Hesselbrock, Victor M. Hesselbrock

Social Work Publications

The moderating effects of ethnicity and gender on factors associated with physical health consequences in adults with alcohol dependence was examined using data from the 2001–2002 U.S. National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC). Black and White respondents with a lifetime diagnosis of DSM-IV alcohol dependence were selected for the study (n = 3,852). A multiple-group structural equation model tested ethnicity, gender, and intervening variables as predictors of physical health status in alcohol dependent men and women. Study findings offer implications for clinical practice with alcohol dependent individuals by identifying likely target groups and problems for intervention.

Cultural Inheritance And Fertility Outcomes: An Analysis From Evolutionary And Interdisciplinary Perspectives, Li Zhang, Dudley L. Poston Jr., Michael S. Alvard, Christopher Cherry

L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs Publications

Taking evolutionary and interdisciplinary perspectives, this study views the reproductive result as an evolutionary outcome that may be affected by parental characteristics through cultural inheritance. We hypothesize that inheriting more cultural traits from parents leads to a greater resemblance between fertility outcomes of the offspring and their parents. In societies that experience a demographic transition, a greater resemblance can be indicated by a higher level of fertility of the offspring and a sooner transition from union formation to childbearing. We operationalize inheriting cultural traits from parents as reporting a religious affiliation the same as those of their parents. Through analyzing …

A Documentary Narrative: The African-American Male, Rebekah Rifareal

AUCTUS: The Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Scholarship

I went to New York with a couple of friends of mine. We’re all artists. It was a trip through the Kinetic Imaging department. We’re in New York and we’re these black males – we felt free to do anything we wanted. We recorded ourselves spitting poetry or dancing. The idea kind of came to me: You know, I want to do a film that has that freedom, that has that feeling of not caring about a specific plot line, but that shows the aspects of who we are out there in public performance. So when I came back to …

[Review Of] Mentoring Faculty Of Color: Essays On Professional Development And Advancement In Colleges And Universities, By Dwayne Mack, Elwood D. Watson, And Michelle Madsen Camacho, Eds., Marie Sarita Gaytán

Ethnic Studies Review

Looking back at my graduate school years, the most vital mentorship I received came in the form of sometimes brutal, but often measured honesty from a small set of trusted advisors and advanced graduate students. Their guidance was critical to my journey because they talked openly about the obstacles they faced in navigating work/life balance, spoke candidly about dealing with unsupportive colleagues, and relayed freely the challenges they encountered in their attempts to gain legitimacy as academics or scholars-in-training. In short, much like the earnest insight shared by the authors of Mentoring Faculty of Color: Essays on Professional Development and …

The Fundi Effect: Activism Through Empowerment, Tony Jamal Lee

Ethnic Studies Review

The participatory democracy strategy of organization used by Ella Baker was greatly productive in grassroots activism, and has the potential to strengthen the political struggles of the present to the height of the movements in times past. Ella Baker was a prominent figure in the black freedom struggle. She was active in fighting for equal rights for Afrikans in America for over five decades. Her approach was characterized by an ability to mobilize and influence youth to action. In this work, there will be an analytical examination of how this methodology is equipped to stand the tests of time through …

Enacting "Smoke, Lilies, And Jade" As Black Gay Print Culture, Shawn Anthony Christian

Ethnic Studies Review

This essay offers a comparative analysis of the ways that Isaac Julien's Looking for Langston (1989) and Rodney Evans's Brother to Brother (2005) inscribe Richard Bruce Nugent's landmark short story "Smoke, Lilies, and Jade" (1926). Both films are examples of how "Smoke," which was first published in the short-lived but infamous journal FIRE!!, now functions as much more than an artifact from the Harlem Renaissance's dynamic print culture. As I contend through this analysis, "Smoke" is a central diegetic element in both films. It enables Looking's visual depiction of the sojourn that Nugent's protagonist Alex has with his male lover …

Trusting An Abusive System: Systemic Racism And Black Political Engagement, Matthew Simmons

Ethnic Studies Review

Africana people in America have relied upon the utilization of political participation in order to address the economic and societal ills that plague its community. Africana people have made strides at all levels of the American government. Africana people were a vital voting block that helped to elect the first American President of African descent. However, studies have shown that the conditions of Africana people in America have not substantially changed since the Voting Rights Act of 1 965 was enacted. Africana political participation has not equated to socioeconomic equality on a large scale for the Africana community. Utilizing Feagin's …

[Review Of] How To Slowly Kill Yourself And Others In America: Essays By Kiese Laymon, Leslie K. Dunlap

Ethnic Studies Review

Social scientists will most likely categorize writer Kiese Laymon's collection of essays as a literary intervention into masculinity studies in our current era: marked by the (seeming) paradox of black presidency and celebrity on the one hand, and the entrenchment of police power over black boys and men on the other. Scholars of history and literature might situate Laymon in political and literary traditions stretching from tum-of-the-twentieth century "race men" to the work of feminists of color in our time, noting his acknowledgements to Ralph Ellison, James Baldwin, Octavia Butler and Toni Morrison (12).1 With its Mississippi setting and sensibility, …

Table Of Contents

Ethnic Studies Review

Table of Contents for Ethnic Studies Review, Vol. 36, No. 1&2, 2013.

Abstracts

Ethnic Studies Review

Abstracts for Ethnic Studies Review, Vol. 36, No. 1&2, 2013.

[Review Of] Angry White Men: American Masculinity At The End Of An Era By Michael Kimmel, Jonathan Grove

Ethnic Studies Review

A well-established sociologist of masculinities, Michael Kimmel, in his work, Angry White Men: American Masculinity at the End of an Era, offers a highly accessible journey through the oxymoron that white men are oppressed by disenfranchised women and minorities. Moreover, Angry White Men argues that their pain and rage is legitimate, though the direction of their anger is not "true." While attacking those with less social capital offers an easier target than the neoliberal policies of the powerful, this process denies the solidarity which could threaten the status quo. Instead, their pain becomes self-fulfilling as these men perpetuate the very …

Understanding The Nature And Effects Of Police-Citizen Encounters In Social Context: The Road Less Traveled, Anca Alfred D' R.

Ethnic Studies Review

Aggressive policing tactics have been identified as contributors to declining crime rate trends in urban, culturally diverse neighborhoods. They encompass stop and frisk practices which have spawned negative public opinion that contrasts with its justification by criminal justice officials as an effective means for the control and prevention of crime. The issue, however, begs deeper questions not readily addressed: how does the nature of police-citizen suspicion-based encounters influence the attitudes and behavior of both stakeholders; and does it contribute to effective crime control and prevention? Based on an analysis of theoretical and empirical research in the field, this article argues …

Closing The Gap: A Research Agenda For The Study Of Health Needs Among American Indian/Native Hawaiian Transgender Individuals, Irene S. Vernon, Trudie Jackson

Ethnic Studies Review

Objectives: To explore health research needs of American Indian and Native Hawaiian (AIINH) transgender individuals. Methods: This qualitative study is composed of four focus groups and one informal meeting, totaling 42 AIINH transgender individuals in four major cities. The theoretical and methodological approaches combined grounded theory with the principles of community based participatory research. Results: Healthcare and resiliency are two main themes that emerged as research needs with important subcategories within them. Access to quality care from medical professionals and access to care that is unique to their trans gender status were subcategories within healthcare. Lived experiences, culture, and history …

Exploring The Dynamics Of Identity Based Conflict And The Possibility For Its Sustainable Management: A Study Of The Persistent Ethno-Religious Conflict In Wukari Area Of Taraba State, Nigeria, Jude A. Momodu, G.I. Matudi, Abiodun L. Momodu

Ethnic Studies Review

This article explores the dynamics of identity-based conflict and the possibility for its management. The study in particular focuses on the persistent ethno-religious conflicts in the Wukari Area of Taraba State, Nigeria. The real issues precipitating the persistent ethno-religious conflicts and the costs of the conflicts were clearly brought to the fore. The study proposes a new paradigm for managing social conflicts at the community level through the 'use of community solutions for community problems' which will involve the constructive participation of all of the stakeholders in the community. This paper concludes by making a proposal for the establishment of …

Tribal-Led People's Resistance In Transition: 1765-1800, Ananda Bhattacharyya

Ethnic Studies Review

The year 1799 A.D. is marked in the annals of Midnapore as the year of the great Chuar Rebellion when all the Adivasis, Sirdars and paiks broke out in a rebellion. They wanted the restoration of their Jagir lands which the British had forcibly resumed earlier. It was a formidable resistance of the Adivasis against the colonial regime. The lawless tribes of the jungle mehal made common cause with the paiks and peasants and carried slaughter and flame to the very doors of the Magistrate's cutcherry. The plundered booty on some occasions was distributed among the ryots. The threat to …

Ethnic Studies Review

Ethnic Studies Review

No abstract provided.

Examining The Impact Of Parental Socialization On The Coping Styles Of Black Graduate Students Faced With Microaggressions, Robert D. Colbert, Kai M. Perry, Marcia Anderson

Ethnic Studies Review

This article explores case examples of two graduate students who endure microaggressions from their math professor at a predominantly White university. The role that parental socialization plays in how these students developed their racial identities and the coping strategies they employed, is analyzed through the lens of Triple Quandary theory (Boykin and Toms 1 985). Findings from this investigation suggest that parental socialization is critical in preparing these students to cope with and respond to microaggressions in protective and adaptive ways. This paper illuminates coping styles, although divergent, that served these graduate students' needs and protected their individual racial identities. …

Discursive And Processual Socialization Of The Mass Into Acts Of Violence: The Case Of Rwandan Genocide, Jeylan Wolyie Hussein

Ethnic Studies Review

This article analyses discursive and processual socialization of the masses into acts of violence during the Rwandan genocide of 1 994. The discursive aspects of the socialization include discourses of dehumanization, ethnic extremism and the dynamics of public socialization into violence and other acts of savagery. The processual dimension of the socialization refers to the violentization process. The article tries to show that the discursive and the processual aspects of socialization reinforced each other. It analyses the ideological and linguistic mechanisms mobilized in Rwanda to foment hatred and whip the masses into atrocities. The article, in addition, tries to explain …

The Ticking Of The “Biological Clock”: Worry About Future Fertility In Nulliparous Women, Karen E. Kersting

Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Title: The Ticking of the “Biological Clock”: Worry about Future Fertility in Nulliparous Women

By: Karen Kersting, M.A., M.S.

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Virginia Commonwealth University, 2013.

Major Director: Kathleen M. Ingram, J.D., Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Psychology

Department of Psychology

Modern women are waiting until later in their lives to have children than women of previous generations, a trend influenced by a number of factors including financial stability, dating norms, and career goals and responsibilities. As women age, their fertility may decline …