Sociology Commons^™

Service Learning's Influence On Multicultural Goals: Among Elite High School Girls: An Interpretative Case Study, Gina Miller Blackburn

Thesis, Dissertations, Student Creative Activity, and Scholarship

This qualitative study was designed to explore the experiences of high school girls in a service-learning class that I co-taught with my husband, Jeffrey Stephens. an economics and World Civilizations teacher at the Bayou School. I observed the participants during their three-week service class entitled The Economy's Impact Upon Its Citizenry when they served at a Salvation Anny community center and during their class discussions. I also interviewed all of the students before the class began, three times during the class. and twice after the class was over. The students kept journals throughout the class and wrote a case study …

A Study Of Community College Student Attitudes Related To Service Learning, Dana Lee Haines

Thesis, Dissertations, Student Creative Activity, and Scholarship

The fourfold purpose of this study was to determine if (1) student attitudes toward community service, (2) student attitudes toward civic involvement, (3) student attitudes about life skills, and (4) student attitudes toward civic engagement and service learning differed based on enrollment in a course with a service learning component or enrollment in a course without a service learning component. A related purpose for students enrolled in a course with a service learning component was to determine if the service learning component had an impact on students' future educational or career plans.

The study was conducted at Mesa Community College …

Toward An Expanded Conceptualization Of Transformative Learning: A Case Study Of International Service-Learning In Nicaragua, Richard C. Kiely

Thesis, Dissertations, Student Creative Activity, and Scholarship

This dissertation research stems from both practical and theoretical problems related to understanding the nature of transformation in international service-learning. In terms of the practical problems, the primary motivation for conducting this study had to do with pedagogical challenges associated with fostering adult college students' transformational learning as the coordinator and instructor of Tompkins Cortland Community College's international service learning program (TC3-NICA)¹ over the past eight years. A review of theoretical and empirical literature in the fields of adult learning, service-learning, and intercultural learning did not adequately address the concerns that ( had about the significant and problematic nature …

Contested Suburbs: Space And Its Representation In Moral Panics, Stacey L. Simmons

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Over the last thirty years there has been modest investigation into the phenomenon of moral panic. Several high profile moral panics have been investigated by social scientists but with relatively little new theoretical developments. This research hypothesizes that there are two different forms of moral panic that have not been discerned by other researchers. I call these: metapanics and localized panics. In addition, in the last two decades a handful of well-respected theorists have drawn attention to the fact that social research is dominated by an historical perspective. Edward Soja. and Henri Lefebvre have been at the fore, but even …

Teachers' Perceptions Of School Safety, Safety-Based Changes, And Their Resultant Impact On School Climate: A Case Study, Laura L. Finley

Dissertations

In the last decade, several high-profile shootings in suburban school districts have drawn attention to the issue of school-based violence. Consequently, schools all over have responded in many ways. The literature reveals that many suburban and rural schools have adopted the same measures as have urban districts, despite the fact that their discipline and violence problems are qualitatively different. These responses have generally been punitive and technological in nature, rather than curricular or structural reforms. This has included institution of metal detectors, more restrictive student dress codes, zero tolerance laws and others. Some, though, have suggested that these responses may …

Family Structure And Attachment And Their Role In Reducing Delinquency In The African American Family, Kiesha Warren

Dissertations

The study uses data from the over sampling of African American youth (4,808) from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health to explore the relationship between family structure, attachment and their role in reducing delinquency. Using theelement of attachment from Hirschi’s (1969) social control theory, this study examines the historical development of the various family structures and the role attachment plays in reducing delinquency in those family structures. The study uses structural equation modeling to test this hypothesis. This study shows that when attachment is present regardless of the family structure delinquency will be reduced.

Why Religious People Believe What They Shouldn't: Explaining Theological Incorrectness In South Asia And America, D. Jason Slone

Dissertations

Cross-cultural descriptions of religious thought and behavior in South Asia and America show that people commonly hold ideas and perform actions that seem to be not only conceptually incoherent but also “theologically incorrect” by the standards of their own traditions. For example. South Asian Theravada Buddhists are taught that the historical Buddha is unavailable because he attained enlightenment and achieved parinirvana (“complete extinction”) and yet conceptually and ritually represent him as if he is present and available for petition. Similarly, American Protestants represent the Christian God as having absolute divine sovereignty and yet reveal confidence in an inner locus of …

Ideology Or Insanity? Media Presentation Of Ted Kaczynski And Tim Mcveigh, Matthew P. Sheptoski

Dissertations

This dissertation explores mainstream media presentation of two convicted murderers: Theodore J. Kaczynski, otherwise known as "The Unabomber," and Timothy J. McVeigh, found guilty of the 1995 destruction of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. More specifically, I analyze The New York Times's and Time's presentation of these two actors in order to assess whether their acts were attributed to political and ideological motivation or psychological abnormality and mental illness. Quantitative and qualitative findings indicate that Kaczynski's crimes were more likely to be attributed to psychological abnormality and mental illness, while McVeigh's crimes were more likely to be …

Comparative Perceived Breast Cancer Risk Before And After An Intervention, Constance F. Welebir

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Breast cancer screening has the potential of early detection, more effective treatment, and possible arrest of certain breast cancers, yet many women do not adhere to screening guidelines. With research showing that people use social comparison while making risk judgments, often holding optimistically biased beliefs about their health, women who maintain an optimism bias about their breast cancer risk may not practice routine breast cancer surveillance. Therefore, effective interventions designed to inform women of their breast cancer risks and to encourage adherence to breast cancer screening guidelines are necessary. This study investigated the role that social comparison plays in risk …

Civic Leadership By People With Disabilities, Tom Seekins Ph.D., Joyce Brusin, Karen Rimel, University Of Montana Rural Institute

Independent Living and Community Participation

Now as perhaps never before, Americans are recognizing heroes in everyday life. From “the Greatest Generation” of World War II to the firefighters of the New York City Fire Department, we are recognizing the extraordinary contributions which citizens make to their communities and to our nation. People with disabilities are among the contributors. The World Health Organization’s new International Classification of Function, Disability and Health (ICIDH) recognizes the importance of their contributions – to themselves as well as their communities. It identifies participation in community life as a critically-important outcome and specifically highlights participation in civic and political affairs (ICIDH-2, …

Indiana Public School Superintendents' Perceptions Of Literature Based Reasons For Implementing Full Day Kindergarten, Scott Daniel Hanback

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to compare superintendents' perceptions of their reasons for implementing full day kindergarten in their schools based on twenty-seven literature based elements relative to corporation location, size, and socio-economic status. These twenty-seven elements of full day kindergarten were clustered into three independent categories: student learner benefit, social adjustment benefit, and school corporation community benefit. The population for this study was the 115 Indiana Public School Superintendents that implement full day kindergarten in their schools. The superintendents were surveyed to glean their perception as to how important the twenty-seven literature based elements were in their decision …

Review Of The Butcher's Tale: Murder And Anti-Semitism In A German Town, Michael F. Russo

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

An Assessment Of Education And The Worst Forms Of Child Labour: How Do Education Policies And Programmes Work (Or Not Work) For Children?, Emma E. Porio, Maria Luisa Fernan, Christine Crisol

Sociology & Anthropology Department Faculty Publications

The report is divided into several parts. Part I outlines the research objectives, design and methodology of the study. Part II describes the structure, policies and programmes of the Philippine educational system. Part III describes the socio-demographic and economic characteristics of working children/child labourers. Part IV describes the school policies and practices that undermine and/or support the schooling of working children/child labourers while Part V links the macro education policies and micro education practices, highlighting the barriers to implementation of education policies.

Parents' Homophobia And Childrearing Gender Role Beliefs: Correlates In A Local Populations, Angela Ackerman Brogle

Honors Capstones

Capstone submitted as a graduation requirement for the BSU Honors Program.

"More Love And More Desire": A History Of The Brazil Lesbian, Gay, And Transgendered Movement, James N. Green

Center for LGBTQ Studies (CLAGS)

For many LGBT activists, the 1969 Stonewall rebellion marked the beginning of a modern international liberation movement. Diffusing outward from New York, so the prevalent notion goes, homosexuals began to organize political movements to demand equal rights, inspired by the militancy of U.S. queers. According to this widely held idea, the emergence of gay and lesbian groups was slower in "Third World countries" because of authoritarian regimes, patriarchal social structures, and backward societies.

Harmful To Whom? Panelists Consider The Conservative Backlash Against Judith Levine's New Book, Patrick Mccreery

Center for LGBTQ Studies (CLAGS)

Judith Levine jokingly says that at least she's in good company: Margaret Sanger, Alfred Kinsey, and Jocelyn Elders all were vilified for allegedly promoting sex between adults and children (though of course none of them did any such thing). Levine, a journalist and founder of the National Writers Union, has been vilified and worse because of her new book, Harmful to Minors: The Perils of Protecting Children from Sex (University of Minnesota Press). In it, she argues that sex is not inherently harmful to teenagers, but can be healthy and empowering. Furthermore, she claims that society's responses to fears of …

Madonnas And Whores: The Dichotomy Of Women's Roles As Portrayed In Women's Magazine Advertisements, Karen Celeste Kimbell

Theses & Dissertations

Advertising has played a vital role in the increase of the number and circulation of magazines. Women's magazines, in particular, are saturated with ads to the point where often the copy text and the advertisements are indistinguishable. Early in the history of women's magazines, advertisements focused on women's domestic role as mother and wife, offering products to improve the home and help with caring for the family. Soon, products for beauty enhancement began showing up in advertisements as well, and beauty products continue to be heavily marketed in women's magazines. With the women's sexual revolution, the notion of beauty changed …

Learning And Living Difference That Makes A Difference: Postmodern Theory & Multicultural Education, Walter R. Jacobs

Faculty Publications, Sociology

The application of postmodern theory to a transformative understanding of multiculturalism can make a difference. Multicentered culture, antiessentialist race consciousness, and political equity—aspects of a transformative multiculturalism put forward in 1996 by Newfield and Gordon—can be juxtaposed with elements of a postmodern theorization of society as a consumer-driven economy saturated with multiple mediated unstable, fragmented, and evolving discourses and cultural interaction. This theoretical construct can be illustrated with research data from college classrooms and specifically an analysis of the television show The X-Files. This analysis shows how a discussion of whiteness creates larger discussion of transformative multiculturalism in which difference …

Got Math? Implementation Guide, Margo Shea, Christopher Nye

Curriculum

For many kids math is like spinach--something to be avoided if possible. This may well be because they see learning math as a rather abstract process, cut off from the real world. For many teachers, with large classes and pressure to prepare for standardized tests, opportunities to individualize math instruction and to experiment with creative group activities that bring math alive remain out of reach. As a result of these and other factors, across the nation our children's math achievement levels remain pretty disappointing.

Got Math?, an out-of-school-time mentoring program for third through fifth graders, is one model that aims …

African-American Women And Welfare: A Qualitative Study Of African-American Women Receiving Public Assistance, Michelle Randolph

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Using information obtained from interviews of a sample of fifteen African-American women from two counties in a border state, the overall perceptions of women receiving public assistance and the labels and stigmas (i.e., welfare checks, food stamps, and medical cards) associated with receiving public assistance were examined. Research findings indicate that there is stress associated with receiving public assistance, and the stigmas associated with public assistance influence people in the public domain to brand recipients socially. The findings from the interviews produced results indicating that the perceived differences and mistreatment felt by welfare recipients were, in part, the result of …

Extending The Dance: Relationship-Based Approaches To Infant/Toddler Care And Education, Carolyn P. Edwards, Helen Raikes

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

Creating an infant/toddler program that revolves around relationships can be compared to expanding a relationship dance from first attachment figures to new ones. The educator must take On an artistic role for this performance. The educator makes the space ready, creating a beautiful place that inspires everyone to feel like dancing. For a new child just entering, the educator must take the initiative, become attuned, get into rhythm with the child, following the child's lead. Because a young child enters the programs "in the arms” of parents, the educator also enfolds the parents in this process. Gradually, as the dance …

Business Transfer And Retention In Rural Nebraska, John C. Allen, Rebecca J. Vogt, Sam Cordes, Randolph L. Cantrell

Publications from the Center for Applied Rural Innovation (CARI)

Small businesses are an important part of the economic future of rural Nebraska. Therefore, it is important for communities to be able to retain their existing businesses. Part of retaining businesses involves transferring ownership of current businesses to the next generation. How important is transferring ownership of businesses in their community to rural Nebraskans? Which strategies do they think would be most effective in retaining businesses? What do rural Nebraskans who currently own a business, farm or ranch believe will happen to it after they are no longer involved in its operation?

This report details 2,841 responses to the 2002 …

Quality Of Life In Rural Nebraska: Trends And Changes, John C. Allen, Rebecca J. Vogt, Sam Cordes

Publications from the Center for Applied Rural Innovation (CARI)

Nebraska’s economy has experienced slowing growth rates this past year. However, it did not experience a downturn. How have these changes affected rural Nebraskans? How do rural Nebraskans perceive their quality of life? Do their perceptions differ by community size, the region in which they live, or their occupation?

This report details 2,841 responses to the 2002 Nebraska Rural Poll, the seventh annual effort to understand rural Nebraskans’ perceptions. Respondents were asked a series of questions regarding their general well-being as well as their satisfaction with specific aspects of well-being. Trends for the well-being questions are examined by comparing data …

Environmental Issues And Perceptions Of Rural Nebraskans, John C. Allen, Sam Cordes, Amy M. Smith, Matt Spilker, Amber Hamilton

Publications from the Center for Applied Rural Innovation (CARI)

This working paper presents findings from the first annual Nebraska Rural Poll. The study is based on 2,754 responses from households in the 87 nonmetropolitan counties in the state. The objectives of this paper are to provide information on how rural Nebraskans view the following issues and questions:

1. Does the state of Nebraska currently do enough to prevent groundwater depletion?

2. Does the state of Nebraska currently do enough to prevent groundwater pollution?

3. Should requirements for preventing environmental damaged be relaxed to reduce business compliance costs?

4. Should requirements for cleanup of environmental damage be relaxed to reduce …

Nebraska State And Federal Tax Issues: Opinions Of Rural Nebraskans, John C. Allen, Sam Cordes, Amy M. Smith, Matt Spilker, Amber Hamilton

Publications from the Center for Applied Rural Innovation (CARI)

This working paper presents findings from the first annual Nebraska Rural Poll. The study is based on 2,754 responses from households in the 87 nonmetropolitan counties in the state. The objectives of this paper are to provide information on how rural Nebraskans view the following issues and questions:

• Do rural Nebraskans support or oppose the following alternatives to Nebraska's current system of taxation and spending?
- The elimination of property tax as a revenue source.
- The reduction of property taxes (by approximately $400 million annually) by limiting property tax levies for local units of government.
- The freezing …

Nebraskan Work Patterns And Available Benefits, John C. Allen, Sam Cordes, Amy M. Smith, Matt Spilker, Amber Hamilton

Publications from the Center for Applied Rural Innovation (CARI)

This working paper presents findings from the first annual Nebraska Rural Poll. The study is based on 2,754 responses from households in the 87 nonmetropolitan counties in the state. The objectives of this paper are to provide information on how rural Nebraskans provide household income, the employment patterns they have and, what benefit packages they have or don’t have. The question of whether benefit packages are employer provided or are provides by other sources was also addressed. The specific questions include:
What percent of rural Nebraskans have employment?
Is the employment.....
Full-time with no other employment?
Full-time with an additional …

Nebraska State And Federal Tax Issues: Opinions Of Rural Nebraskans, John C. Allen, Sam Cordes, Amy M. Smith, Matt Spilker, Amber Hamilton

Publications from the Center for Applied Rural Innovation (CARI)

This working paper presents findings from the first annual Nebraska Rural Poll. The study is based on 2,754 responses from households in the 87 nonmetropolitan counties in the state. The objectives of this paper are to provide information on how rural Nebraskans view the following issues and questions:

• Do rural Nebraskans support or oppose the following alternatives to Nebraska=s current system of taxation and spending?

- The elimination of property tax as a revenue source.
- The reduction of property taxes (by approximately $400 million annually) by limiting property tax levies for local units of government.
- The freezing …

Sociology And The Search For Architectural Design Solutions: Discovering That The Problem Might Be Bigger Than We Thought, Ronald Smith

Sociology Faculty Research

In previous newsletters we have been somewhat general in arguing how sociology can offer distinct perspectives and possible solutions to architectural design problems. In this article we instead give a specific hypothetical problem that might well confront the architect. In doing so we might be able to see what sociology can offer the architect in terms of possible insights and solutions, and we might also find that in analyzing one problem we may well find connections to still larger problems.

Inside Unlv, Diane Russell, Jason Vaughan, Cate Weeks

Inside UNLV

No abstract provided.

Case Studies On The Implementation Of The Workforce Investment Act: Spotlight On Kentucky, Allison Cohen Hall, Jaimie Ciulla Timmons, Sheila Fesko

Case Studies Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

The implementation of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) requires major organizational change for employment and training agencies. The initiative emphasizes coordination, collaboration and communication among organizations for better service delivery. At this time, states are developing systems that will enable them to address the needs of all customers seeking employment. The Institute for Community Inclusaion (ICI) has conducted state case studies for two purposes: (1) to identify how states have begun the process of collaboration under the new mandates of WIA; and (2) to understand the impact on customers with disabilities. This is the first in a series of publications …