Sociology Commons^™

Crossing Over The Line : Becoming A Marijuana User Alters Perceptions Of Source And Message Credibility In Anti-Drug Campaigns, Fiona Perman

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Illicit-drug use is a major problem in our society. Policing, charging and incarcerating offenders incurs a significant strain on government resources, and results in criminal records for those found guilty. This study examines the attitudes and beliefs of young adults (18-24 years) toward social marketing messages about marijuana and other illicit-drug use. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect various levels of marijuana use have on young people’s acceptance of anti-drug messages. That is, do source and message credibility change as a result of young people’s experience of marijuana use?

Anglo-Indian Women In Western Australia: Past, Present And Future Identities, Erica Lewin

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The Anglo-Indian community and Anglo-Indian women in particular have been described as 'mixed-race' and 'hybrid'. This study seeks to explore the identity of Anglo-Indian women through the process of migration and settlement in Australia, by following the lives of twenty-six women. Twenty of these women emigrated from India between 1963 and 1977; one arrived in Australia significantly earlier in 1947 and another significantly later, in 1996. Four women were Australian-born. This study traces their identity through their memories of life in India and the process of migration and settlement for themselves and their children, some of whom were born in …

Income Distribution Dynamics With Endogenous Fertility, Daniel L. Chen, Michael Kremer

Faculty Scholarship

Developing countries with highly unequal income distributions, such as Brazil or South Africa, face an uphill battle in reducing inequality. Educated workers in these countries have a much lower birth rate than uneducated workers. Assuming children of educated workers are more likely to become educated, this fertility differential increaases the proportion of unskilled workers, reducing their wages, and thus their opportunity cost of having children, creating a vicious cycle. A model incorporating this effect generates multiple stedy-state levels of inequality, suggesting that in some circumstances, temporarily increasing access to educational opportunities could permanently reduce inequality. Empirical evidence suggests that the …

Organisational Diagnostics And Planned Organisational Change : An Application Of An Adapted Version Of Soft System Methodology : A Case Study On X Engineering Sdn. Bhd., Leong Choon Heng Peter

Student Works (2000-2009)

This case study is done on X Engineering Sdn. Bhd. to diagnose the ‘health’ of the a division in the organisation. The study uses the adapted soft system methodology propounded by Yusof Omar (2001d). The instrument used in this study for the real world diagnosis includes the self-actualisation diagnosis, dissipativeness diagnosis, actor system diagnosis and the six level organisational diagnosis. The management system diagnosis for the organisation uses the ISO 9001:2000 International Standard as its instrument. A census is done for the division and participant observation is used for primary data collection. The result from the study provides evidence that …

On Thanksgiving And Collective Memory: Constructing The American Tradition, Amy Adamczyk

Publications and Research

Relying on the approach by Maurice Halbwachs who argued that collective memory is based on contemporary interests and concerns, this article shows how Thanksgiving has changed over time in accordance with the ideas of the day. Aspects of the analysis support Barry Schwartz’s theory that commemoration reflects the historical past. Similar to the pilgrims’ celebration, many people commemorate Thanksgiving by, for example, feasting and praying. But in contrast to Schwartz’s thought, this paper also shows that there are other elements of traditions that have minimal connection with the original event. Forms of commemoration like the Macy’s Day Parade challenge the …

Causes Of Student Underachievement In Northside New Era Secondary School In Ghana, Edward Larbi

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study focused on the causes of student underachievement in a selected high school in Ghana. The anonymous name chosen for the school was Northside New Era Secondary School. The participants in the study were administrators, teachers, and students. They were selected from the same school where the researcher conducted the study. The school was located in the Northern Region of Ghana. It had proven records of underachievement compared to other schools in the country according to the Ministry of Education's recent statistical report on education. The criterion for measurement was based on the results of the final examination conducted …

An Interview With Sandra Harding, Stephanie Urso Spina, Mike Roberts, Patricia Ticento Clough

Publications and Research

Harding’s position has been critiqued as more postmodern than feminist, as viable without nasty entanglements in feminism, as too concerned with established Eurocentric, scientific discourses, and as appealing to foundational innocence by her concern with realism. But what seems to drive Harding’s choices more than anything is a conscious attempt to be effective in intervening in existing systems of power, whether empiricist and postmodern. By taking this position, Harding undertakes a difficult task. Its difficulty, however, is compensated for by the conversations she generates. As a voice not restricted to one intellectual school, Harding demands attention from many with opposing …

A Broken System, Part Ii: Why There Is So Much Error In Capital Cases And What Can Be Done About It, James S. Liebman, Jeffrey A. Fagan, Andrew Gelman, Valerie West, Garth Davies, Alexander Kiss

Faculty Scholarship

There is growing awareness that serious, reversible error permeates America’s death penalty system, putting innocent lives at risk, heightening the suffering of victims, leaving killers at large, wasting tax dollars, and failing citizens, the courts and the justice system.

Our June 2000 Report shows how often mistakes occur and how serious it is: 68% of all death verdicts imposed and fully reviewed during the 1973-1995 study period were reversed by courts due to serious errors.

Analyses presented for the first time here reveal that 76% of the reversals at the two appeal stages where data are available for study were …