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Full-Text Articles in Sociology

Development Of A Definition And Measure For The Study Of Violent Mass Victimization, Mindy Weller Jan 2016

Development Of A Definition And Measure For The Study Of Violent Mass Victimization, Mindy Weller

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For decades there has been a growing body of literature and research on the topic of mass murder with no attention paid to incidents of mass violence whose death toll falls just short of the minimum three body requirement. The purpose of this study is to address this gap and develop a valid and reliable definitional measure for the future study of violent mass victimization events. A mixed methods approach was employed and consisted of assessing 1,118 news articles collected from 42 U.S. states for the years of 2009 through 2012. These articles were collapsed into a sample size of …


The Female Human Trafficker In The Criminal Justice System: A Test Of The Chivalry Hypothesis, Brielle Francis Jan 2016

The Female Human Trafficker In The Criminal Justice System: A Test Of The Chivalry Hypothesis, Brielle Francis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The involvement of women in human trafficking within the United States has received limited research attention. Human trafficking encompasses labor, sex, and organ trafficking (Roberts, 2012). In 2009 the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reported that women play a significant role in human trafficking. Nagel and Johnson (1994) conclude that, historically, female offenders have stayed at the edge of the criminal justice system. Generally, theories about prosecution and conviction outcomes derive from the study of male offenders. Women can be involved in all aspects of the human trafficking organizations, from the recruitment, to the supervision of prostitutes …


The Ontological Sociology Of Cryptocurrency: A Theoretical Exploration Of Bitcoin, Omar Eliud Villarreal Robledo Jan 2016

The Ontological Sociology Of Cryptocurrency: A Theoretical Exploration Of Bitcoin, Omar Eliud Villarreal Robledo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For millennia, money has been a basal element of everyday life reality in market-organized societies. Albeit money has changed extrinsically (e.g., form, use, utility) countless of times, some intrinsic characteristics remain the same, i.e., money is reified value. But why? What gives money value? Even more crucial, what is money in the first place? This exploratory study delves into the intricacies of money, in particular the revolutionary 21st century pecuniary techno-phenomenon, a cryptocurrency called Bitcoin. Though cryptocurrencies have been the topic of several financial and legal scholarly publications for a few years, we rather focus our analysis on Bitcoin's ontological …


Understanding The Factors Associated With Engaged Scholarship: A Case Study Of Sociologists In The University Of Cape Coast, Ghana, Rebecca Maame Ahima Tachie Jan 2016

Understanding The Factors Associated With Engaged Scholarship: A Case Study Of Sociologists In The University Of Cape Coast, Ghana, Rebecca Maame Ahima Tachie

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Although initially established for the purpose of training teachers and management staff for the formal education sector, one of the major objectives of the University of Cape Coast (UCC) is to establish partnerships with both local and international communities and organizations in ways that simultaneously enhance academic scholarship and socioeconomic development. For this reason, this study examined the significance of university policies on community engagement and the practice of public sociology. Specifically, the influence of epistemological dispositions and perceptions concerning disciplinary, institutional and social demands on engaged scholarship are addressed. The challenges associated with the practice of engaged scholarship and …


Causes Of Alienation Among Black Students At Two Predominantly White Universities, Anton Mighty Jan 2016

Causes Of Alienation Among Black Students At Two Predominantly White Universities, Anton Mighty

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the factors that foster or inhibit the academic and social integration of Black students at two predominately white institutions. A second purpose of this study is to discover the factors influencing Black student alienation. The survey instrument was administered to 52 Black students (8.7% of the total Black student population) enrolled in two universities located in the upper Midwest. Six indices were developed for these independent variables: pre-entry characteristics, institutional environment, academic integration, faculty interaction, social integration, and peer involvement. The results of this study add to the limited literature on alienation …


Application Of Routine Activities Theory To The Study Of Residential Armed Robbery In Ghana, Neeh Nhai Lhayea Jan 2016

Application Of Routine Activities Theory To The Study Of Residential Armed Robbery In Ghana, Neeh Nhai Lhayea

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study utilized Routine Activities theory to explain deterrent and motivating factors associated with residential armed robbery in Ghana. Although several studies have examined crime through the lenses of Routine Activities theory, none such studies have been dedicated to the study of residential armed robbery in Ghana. This study, therefore, attempts to fill that void by applying Routine Activities theory to the study of residential armed robbery. This research samples 56 of armed robbers in three selected prisons of contemporary Ghana to provide a fuller criminological and descriptive analysis of the offence, the offenders, motivation and guardianship to committing residential …


Coping And Adjustment Of Spouses Of International Students At South Dakota State University, Elizabeth Nayebare Jan 2016

Coping And Adjustment Of Spouses Of International Students At South Dakota State University, Elizabeth Nayebare

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research investigated acculturation of female spouses of international students to life in Brookings, specifically, how they cope and adjust. It was guided by the following questions: what are the socio-economic and cultural attributes of female spouses, and how do they impact their ability to cope and adjust to life in Brookings; what strategies and activities do spouses of international students rely on or develop in order to adjust and cope with life in the United States (Brookings); and what are the processes and experiences of coping and adjustment among spouses of different professional and cultural backgrounds? The investigation was …


Identity Theory And Women’S Choice Of Medical Specialty, Kelli A. Rolfsmeyer Jan 2016

Identity Theory And Women’S Choice Of Medical Specialty, Kelli A. Rolfsmeyer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to answer the research question: Does a self theory of social action account for female physicians’ perceptions of past choice of specialty? Perceptions of self changed as she prepared herself to become a physician. During her medical training, a medical student gains a better sense of who she is as a person who will become a doctor. The ability to act back on one’s self, called selfreflexivity, is the mechanism involved in the transitions of a physician’s biographical self. The data for this study was collected through interviews centered on questions chosen from the …


Government Policy And Initiatives On Maternal Mortality Reduction In Nigeria, Enifome U. Eto Jan 2016

Government Policy And Initiatives On Maternal Mortality Reduction In Nigeria, Enifome U. Eto

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research is a case study of the decline in Nigeria’s maternal mortality ratio from 1990 to 2013. The goal was to examine the reasons behind the decline. Using a combination of ideas from Eager (2004) and Nathanson (1996) as the theoretical framework, this study explained the factors that resulted in the decline. Both theorists focus on the processes of normative change relative to public health outcomes at a societal or international level. Available secondary or documentary data were used for this study. Data sources include: Nigerian government reports on maternal health interventions; nongovernmental reports on maternal health interventions; reports …


Gender, Genre, And “Quality” Television: The Field Of Television Production In America From 1951 - 2013, Joseph Andrew Hoff Jan 2016

Gender, Genre, And “Quality” Television: The Field Of Television Production In America From 1951 - 2013, Joseph Andrew Hoff

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Gender has a major impact on how society is organized. Societal processes taking place within fields continually shape and recreate our concepts of man and woman. Within television this is no difierent. Although a field closely tied to capitalistic economic interests, television has been afiorded a slight amount of autonomy that has allocertain shows in certain genres to be engaged with by audiences much like literature that is rich in symbolism and open to multiple interpretations. This study addresses how gender has structured the field over three distinct time periods as it expanded and provided men with opportunities and resources …


Is Your Parenting Style Hindering Your Child’S Chances At Succeeding In Their Post-Seconday Education? A Pilot Study Of Parent Gender And Parenting Style Effects On College Student Adjustment, Natya Jones Jan 2016

Is Your Parenting Style Hindering Your Child’S Chances At Succeeding In Their Post-Seconday Education? A Pilot Study Of Parent Gender And Parenting Style Effects On College Student Adjustment, Natya Jones

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research was conducted on parent gender and parenting style effects on college student adjustment. Literature suggest that an authoritative parenting style is most optimal for adolescent outcomes contributing to adjustment in the following ways: social, attachment, personal emotional and academic. The current study utilized a convenience sample of 52 participants that examined the associations of parent gender and perceive parenting styles on college student adjustment. Significant relations were found among the differences between maternal and paternal permissive parenting on overall student adjustment.


How Does Place Affect Access To "What Works?": Knowledge Usage In Urban And Rural Ngo Intervention Design, Caitlin Brooking Jan 2016

How Does Place Affect Access To "What Works?": Knowledge Usage In Urban And Rural Ngo Intervention Design, Caitlin Brooking

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As a state often ranked last in health rankings of note, Mississippi stands to benefit greatly from health interventions developed and implemented by nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). NGOs depend on governmental and private foundation support, and, precipitated by recent legislation, these funding sources increasingly require “evidence-based practices” (EBPs). NGOs must cope with and adapt to the added expertise, data collection, and evaluation necessary to meet these requirements, tapping into their social networks to gain access to capital across ties. However, urban and rural environments present different concentrations of institutions and organizations, perhaps resulting in unequal abilities for urban and rural NGOs …


Food Insecurity, Social Inequality, And Social Policy, Sara Strickhouser Jan 2016

Food Insecurity, Social Inequality, And Social Policy, Sara Strickhouser

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research shows that food insecurity rates and experiences vary by subpopulation. This dissertation examines the rates and experience of food insecurity rates across subpopulations using a wide variety of sociodemographic factors expanding the current research on de terminants of food insecurity. Subtopics surrounding the current food insecurity research are explored. These topics include determinants of food deserts, SNAP (or food stamps) utilization, and household adaptation strategies. This research shows that current measurements of food insecurity lack the detail needed to understand why households are food insecure besides lacking income. Using Bourdieu's four forms of capital, this study considers factors beyond …


"I Kid You Not, I Am Asked A Question About Children At Least Once A Week": Exploring Differences In Childbearing Habitus In Pronatalist Fields, Alyssa Mullins Jan 2016

"I Kid You Not, I Am Asked A Question About Children At Least Once A Week": Exploring Differences In Childbearing Habitus In Pronatalist Fields, Alyssa Mullins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the United States, childbearing remains part of the typical life course. However, evidence suggests that men and women, on average, are having fewer children and having them later in life. Additionally, public and academic outlets are increasingly acknowledging some adults' decisions to intentionally forego childbearing completely, with an emphasis on the reasons why individuals choose to abstain from childbearing. However, further research is needed to identify the ways in which voluntarily childless adults actively negotiate the social world among structural influences that simultaneously values parenthood and place complex burdens on parents. Utilizing the Bourdieuian concepts of habitus, capital, and …


Emotional Labor And Identity Management Among Hiv Counselors, James Dillon Caldwell Jan 2016

Emotional Labor And Identity Management Among Hiv Counselors, James Dillon Caldwell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Emotional labor, an idea first developed by Arlie Hochschild, became a main component of work developing the field of sociology of emotions. Emotion labor provides a conceptual framework for understanding the outward and inward emotional experiences that are deemed either appropriate or inappropriate during interactions with others, specifically in the workplace. A product and derivation of this emotional labor is carefully outlined display rules. These rules vary from position to position, but are often part and parcel of work in the human services sector. This labor can be understood as resulting from the employee's adherence to display rules, which may …


The Gold Wrapper Standard: An Investigation Into The Preference For Larger Sized Condoms, Diego Plaza Jan 2016

The Gold Wrapper Standard: An Investigation Into The Preference For Larger Sized Condoms, Diego Plaza

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research looking into the relationship between masculinity and condoms has typically centered on how masculinity ideology acts as a deterrent toward condom use. The current study focuses on the social pairing between larger sized condoms and masculinity by examining the factors that predict the preference for larger sized condoms. Specifically, the current analysis uses survey data collected from a sample of 398 University of Central Florida students to examine the predictive role of gender, race/ethnicity, gendered-identification, relationship status, perceived penis size, condom malfunction experience, the opinion that men would be less reluctant to use condoms if offered a larger option, …


Zooming In On The Money Shot: An Exploratory Quantitative Analysis Of Pornographic Film Actors, Erin O'Neal Jan 2016

Zooming In On The Money Shot: An Exploratory Quantitative Analysis Of Pornographic Film Actors, Erin O'Neal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sex work is one of the rare elements of our society that is both accepted and stigmatized. Ironically enough, it is stigmatized without being studied in depth. The truth is we know very little about sex work and even less about pornography—the most legal of genres. While researchers have spent a great deal of time determining the effects that pornography has on viewers, particularly juvenile viewers, little research has been done on the men and women who make pornography. A 43 question survey was created and disseminated to those in the pornographic film industry, both amateur and professional, resulting in …


No Ground To Stand Upon?: Exploring The Legal, Gender, And Racial Implications Of Stand Your Ground Laws In Cases Of Intimate Partner Violence., Denise Crisafi Jan 2016

No Ground To Stand Upon?: Exploring The Legal, Gender, And Racial Implications Of Stand Your Ground Laws In Cases Of Intimate Partner Violence., Denise Crisafi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Within the past decade, the use of self-defense as defined under Stand Your Ground laws has been the subject of political and legal scrutiny. According to the American Bar Association (2015), twenty-three states have passed Stand Your Ground laws that eliminate the duty to retreat prior to using force in any place that an individual has the right to be. In addition, ten states allow individuals to use or threaten to use force in public or private spaces where they have a right to be under case law (not formal statute) but maintain stricter requirements for how self-defense must be …


Keeping Quiet: Investigating The Maintenance And Policing Of Male-Dominated Gaming Space, Christopher Charles Jan 2016

Keeping Quiet: Investigating The Maintenance And Policing Of Male-Dominated Gaming Space, Christopher Charles

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite the near parity between the number of female and male gamers (Entertainment Software Association, 2014), studies on gender in videogames illustrate a culture that typically reflects hegemonic masculinity and excludes women on a multitude of levels. Because these interactions occur within real and virtual space (both online and within games), a holistic approach is warranted to analyze these mechanisms of oppression. This paper seeks to uncover the ways by which gaming culture is maintained and policed as a male-dominated space, through qualitative data collection. By using ethnographic, participant observation at a large, multi-genre convention the experiences of both male …


Making The Invisible Visible: Exploring The Experiences Of Black Male Professionals In Postsecondary Education, Claudine Mclaren Turner Jan 2016

Making The Invisible Visible: Exploring The Experiences Of Black Male Professionals In Postsecondary Education, Claudine Mclaren Turner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

College student development literature discusses the challenges faced by historically under-represented groups in college and the role that university personnel play in retaining students from these groups (Brown 2009; Hairston 2013; Kuh et al 2005). Research reveals that Black male students are retained in greater numbers when connected with Black male professionals who: 1) hold them accountable for their choices; and 2) discuss and demonstrate effective coping techniques to deal with race-based challenges that seem to convey colleges and universities are not the appropriate space for young Black men (Bonner and Bailey 2006; Harper 2012; Wynn 2007; Cuyjet 2006). Research …


Funneled Into Prison: Race And Behavior Modification At A Mississippi Alternative School, Daniela Alexandria Griffin Jan 2016

Funneled Into Prison: Race And Behavior Modification At A Mississippi Alternative School, Daniela Alexandria Griffin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

African American youth are 3.5 times more likely than their white counterparts to be expelled from traditional public schools and sent to an alternative school—an exclusionary disciplinary setting focused on behavior modification. Yet how administrators and faculty supervise students’ behavioral achievement in these settings is seldom examined. This research investigates how faculty and administrators define and implement a behavior modification program at Richmond Learning Center, an alternative education setting in Mississippi, and places African American boys as young as 12 years old on a path to prison. To understand how faculty and administrators perceive and practice this program, I performed …


Chasing "Plan A": Identity Development Of First-Generation College Student-Athletes, Alexandra Warner Jan 2016

Chasing "Plan A": Identity Development Of First-Generation College Student-Athletes, Alexandra Warner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Student-athletes competing at the university level face a unique set of stressors, pressures, and experiences. While all students will inevitably face difficulties transitioning from high school to post-secondary education, collegiate athletes bear the burden of balancing at least two demanding public roles, student and athlete, along with other interpersonal relationships, such as friendships, familial ties, and connections with teammates and coaches. The current study examines the identity development of college student-athletes and the challenges they face as they transition into and through their involvement in higher education and intercollegiate sports. This project in particular focuses on how the gendered experiences …


Rethinking Drinking: A Paradigm Shift For Estimating Social And Behavioral Harm, Thomas Hall Jan 2016

Rethinking Drinking: A Paradigm Shift For Estimating Social And Behavioral Harm, Thomas Hall

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study challenges old saws about negative consequences attributed to alcohol use. Previous research findings associate negative social and behavioral consequences with alcohol consumption, as if college students only do regrettable things when they are drunk. Typical research related to negative consequences and alcohol use relies on retrospective self-reporting. Investigators often frame negative consequences as outcomes of problematic drinking or, as more commonly labeled, "binge drinking." In the nomenclature of prevention, binge drinking is not a direct measure of alcohol use resulting in intoxication; it is a hypothetical tipping point, predicting an increased likelihood of the incidence of negative consequences …


Battle On The Homefront: An Auto-Ethnographic Perspective On Domestic Violence Post-Deployment, Michelle Craske Jan 2016

Battle On The Homefront: An Auto-Ethnographic Perspective On Domestic Violence Post-Deployment, Michelle Craske

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Domestic and sexual trauma that occurs during the time a soldier is actively serving in the military are difficult for researchers to measure in large part because the Department of Defense does not report these offenses to the public. Recent combat missions to the Middle East have increased mental health issues among soldiers, but it is unclear whether these issues are related to domestic violence and sexual trauma soldiers may have endured. The purpose of this study is to investigate how combat operations may have increased domestic violence and sexual trauma among soldiers. An auto ethnographic method is used to …


The Religious Beliefs And Behaviors Of Baby Boomers, Generation X, And The Millennials: Are There Still Gender Differences?, Jessica Chase Jan 2016

The Religious Beliefs And Behaviors Of Baby Boomers, Generation X, And The Millennials: Are There Still Gender Differences?, Jessica Chase

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The literature describes how changing demographics and cultural factors in recent generations may be contributing to gender differences regarding religion. The present exploratory study uses cross-sectional survey data from the 2012 and 2014 General Social Survey to examine the gender differences in religiosity for Millennials, Generation X, and Baby Boomers. The findings show significant gender and demographic results for attendance at religious services, frequency of prayer, belief in the Bible as the word of God, and belief in life after death for all three generations. Baby Boomer and Millennial women attend religious services more than men, but there is no …


Superwholock: An Analysis Of Subculture In A Microblogging Setting, Dean Short Jan 2016

Superwholock: An Analysis Of Subculture In A Microblogging Setting, Dean Short

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

While subcultural research has always been a common focus of sociological research, most such studies focus on deviant subcultures. This has led to a glut of information on countercultures and criminal subcultures, but relatively little study of less visible subcultures. While there is a great deal of research on the sociology of sport, including sport fandom, there is very little on other fandom subcultures. While this makes sense, as they are niche subcultures, the popularity of formerly niche entertainment is expanding rapidly. Much of this fandom renaissance owes its existence to the Internet, and its ability to bring geographically separate …


An Examination Of Domestic Violence Perpetration: A Further Look Into The Gender Symmetry Debate., Michelle Parra Jan 2016

An Examination Of Domestic Violence Perpetration: A Further Look Into The Gender Symmetry Debate., Michelle Parra

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The influences of certain social changes and social movements, such as the feminist movement, in society introduced a violence gendered stereotype model that promoted the social idea that males are more violent than females. From the limited research, it appears that domestic violence perpetration among women differs from male domestic violence perpetration; however, research has not clarified the extent of female domestic violence perpetration and the severity of their abusive behaviors. The current research examines gender-specific intimate partner violence perpetration to determine whether attitudes toward social gender role expectations, income contribution and production, and division of labor in the household …


Keeping Their Distance: A Comparison Of 2009 And 2013 Domestic Violence Cases In Seminole County That Utilized Gps Technology To Determine Effectiveness Of Program, Rachel Rados Jan 2016

Keeping Their Distance: A Comparison Of 2009 And 2013 Domestic Violence Cases In Seminole County That Utilized Gps Technology To Determine Effectiveness Of Program, Rachel Rados

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the implementation and effectiveness of the Seminole County Sheriff's Office Global Positioning System (GPS) when ordered by the court for "no contact" in Domestic Violence cases, specifically Intimate Partner Violence. The research evaluates violations, which occurred while arrestees were assigned to GPS in 2009 and 2013; the programs first year and the most recent with complete data available. The results found limited factors that could be identified as predicting violations for those who violated the GPS, but the qualitative interviews shed much more light on the value of the program. The qualitative interviews were conducted with various …


From The Yellow Peril To The Model Minority: An Experimental Survey Examining Racial Attitudes Towards Asian Americans, Jenny Nguyen Jan 2016

From The Yellow Peril To The Model Minority: An Experimental Survey Examining Racial Attitudes Towards Asian Americans, Jenny Nguyen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Attitudinal research continues to show a more liberal trend in racial attitudes of Whites towards Blacks across a spectrum of issues (i.e. interracial marriage, residential integration, etc.) leading some to believe that we are moving into a post-racial society. However, a growing body of research has brought into question this utopian post-racial assertion. While Whites express support for racial equality in principle, they vehemently oppose race-targeted policies aimed to address racial inequality. This principle-policy gap has been consistently associated with persistent racial resentment; thus, contradicting the notion that of a post-racial era. Existing attitudinal research is often limited to the …


Juvenile-Perpetrated Homicide And Family Disorganization, Brittany Murray Jan 2016

Juvenile-Perpetrated Homicide And Family Disorganization, Brittany Murray

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Juvenile-perpetrated homicide is a complicated and sensitive topic in the literature. Uncovering the potential influences on a juvenile is arguably important for recognizing the trends in juvenile behavior and the devastating consequences of some of this behavior. Family disorganization, a component to social disorganization as proposed by Elliott and Merrill (1934), explained that families with higher levels of social disorganization (as measured by factors such as poverty, welfare, and residential mobility) are expected to have higher numbers of juvenile delinquents. Using this theoretical frame, data from 1984-2006 on juvenile-perpetrated homicide in 91 of the largest cities in the United States …