Sociology Commons^™

Jeannie's Journey: From Black And White To A Vibrant Tapestry., Carolyn Denise Kennedy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Our nation has made great strides since 1954's Brown v. Board of Education, 1963's I Have a Dream speech, and the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. However, Jeannie and other minorities continue to endure in a struggle for true equality. A debate exists as to whether race issues are improved by discussion, or if they improve by ceasing these types of discussions and not even mentioning race.

The purpose of this qualitative biographical narrative is to vicariously relive Jeannie's Journey and ascertain what relevance her life story has to our historical timeline. The sole participant in …

A Study Of The Impact Of Socioeconomic Status On Student Achievement In A Rural East Tennessee School System., Eydie J. Pettigrew

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of socioeconomic status on academic achievement as measured by the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program Achievement Test and the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program Writing Assessment. The population consisted of 8th grade students enrolled in 4 elementary schools in a rural school system in Tennessee. Data were analyzed for the population of the 2006-2007 academic school year. A 2-way analysis of variance model was used to compare the means among the schools, the means between economically disadvantaged students and those who were not economically disadvantaged, and whether there was a significant school …

Parental Involvement Typologies In Rural Community Schools: A Qualitative Investigation., Amy Hurst Case

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There are a number of pressing issues facing today's educational society. Among the most controversial is the research and information surrounding the perceived positive or negative effects of parental involvement and barriers that restrict parental involvement. The purpose of this study was to examine 6 parental involvement typologies and their use and existence in 3 East Tennessee elementary schools. The Epstein (1987) typologies were used to classify parent involvement modalities. Parents who had a child enrolled in the 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade during the 2007-2008 school year were interviewed. The interviews followed an open-ended interview guide and the research …

An Evaluation Of Novice Teachers' Perceptions Of The Mentoring Experience In Knox County Schools., Lakisha L. Waters

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Teacher retention is a growing problem in the 21^st century. Many veterans teachers are reaching retirement age and there are increasing numbers of new teachers entering school systems.

School administrators across the state of Tennessee realize that there is a significant number of beginning teachers who are leaving the teaching profession within the first 3 to 5 years of their teaching careers. Beginning teachers are being surveyed to determine why many leave the profession. After gathering input from beginning teachers across Tennessee, school officials began to develop teacher mentoring programs designed to retain beginning teachers.

The purpose of this …

A Quantitative Analysis Of Crime Rates In American Colleges And Universities With And Without Residential College Systems., Mavis Winona Fleenor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the residential college system to determine if there was any association between campus crime and the residential house system. The specific problem of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the residential college system in mitigating campus violence. The intent of this study was to analyze the statistical relationship between crime reports from colleges and universities where on-campus housing was structured into residential colleges or house systems and crime reports from comparable colleges and universities without the residential design. Data collection consisted of a Web-based nationwide survey conducted annually by …

Denying Queer Realities: Scripting The Normative Homo., Porscha Rae Yount

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Queer theorists and sociologists have argued that the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) movement further marginalizes some queer individuals in the pursuit of legitimacy from the dominant heterosexist culture. This study uses qualitative content analysis to examine the Web sites of four social movement organizations that claim to work for the LGBT community (Human Rights Campaign, Lambda Legal Defense Fund, National Center for Lesbian Rights, and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force). In this thesis, I argue that these organizations participate in scripting the normative homo ideal while distancing themselves from problematic identities that challenge normative, natural frameworks …

An Examination Of Patterns And Trends Of Prescription Drug Abuse Among Adolescents., Maggie Marie Orender

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine prescription drug abuse among the adolescent population and analyze factors that may contribute to or influence adolescent drug abuse. This study examined 3 waves of a secondary data set from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA) entitled the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). The data from these surveys are nationally representative and include data on several types of drug use and mental health conditions. Results from the current study indicate that there were significant relationships among age, gender, race, previous alcohol use, school enrollment, general health, …

An Analysis Of Data Collected From The 2007-2008 Tennessee State Report Card And The Variables Related To Science Test Results., Julia Lorie Lamons

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine whether Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) Achievement reading scores, school district per-pupil expenditures, school size, percentage of students qualifying for free and reduced-priced meals, and attendance were related to science TCAP test scores from the 2007-2008 school year. The data were gathered from an analysis of mean standardized test scores in reading and science of 8^th graders in 67 school systems comprising 181 schools located throughout Tennessee. One hundred eighty-one schools configured grades 6 through 8 were used in this study. Only 177 schools had reported attendance available on the Tennessee …

Durkheim's Refutation Of Spencerian Methodological Individualism: A Critical Evaluation., Matthew Bryan Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The famed French classical social theorist Emile Durkheim's academic reputation is based largely on his critical rejection of the British utilitarian tradition and specifically the writings of the classical British sociologist Herbert Spencer. In this thesis I critically evaluate Durkheim's critique of Herbert Spencer's methodological individualism. It is found that while select Durkheimian claims merit continued allegiance, his broader critique of Spencer's methodological individualism must be viewed as logically and empirically deficient. In conclusion I examine the implications for Durkheimian sociology and the broader social theoretical enterprise directed at analyzing and conceptualizing the nature of sociality and the social bond.

Messy Love: Jean Vanier's L'Arche, Michael W. Higgins

Mission & Culture Publications

The article focuses on Jean Vanier, founder of the international organization L'Arche, who won the 2009 Nation Builder of the Year award from the newspaper "Globe and Mail." The author describes Vanier as the impeccable subversive of the value system that equates human dignity with utility. It notes that he taught at the University of Saint Michael's College in Toronto, Ontario. It relates how Vanier established L'Arche.

Erving Turned To Me And Said, "You Know, Elijah Anderson Is Really A Professional Sociologist, He Is Not A Professional Black", Harold Bershady

Bios Sociologicus: The Erving Goffman Archives

This interview with Professor Harold Bershady, professor of sociology at the University of Pennsylvania, was recorded over the phone on January 22, 2009. Dmitri Shalin transcribed the interview, after which Dr. Bershady edited the transcript and gave his approval for posting the present version in the Erving Goffman Archives. Breaks in the conversation flow are indicated by ellipses. Supplementary information and additional materials inserted during the editing process appear in square brackets. Undecipherable words and unclear passages are identified in the text as “[?]”.

Migrant Domestic Workers In Asia: The Case Of Singapore, Kayoko Ueno

Migration and Ethnic Relations Colloquium Series

No abstract provided.

Navigating The Teen Years: Promise And Peril For Northern New Hampshire Youth, Anne M. Shattuck

Carsey Publications

This report provides a snapshot of how youth are doing in Carroll, Coos, and Grafton counties and describes some of the difficulties they and their communities face as they negotiate the transition to adulthood. The study is based on data from several agencies that collect county- and community-level information about youth, as well as from interviews with individuals working with youth in each of the three counties.

Australian Families, Cultures, And Environments: An Annotated Bibliography, Judi Geggie, John Defrain, Nikki Defrain, Greg Blyton, Leanne Holt

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

This annotated bibliography of books and other cultural resources is offered to readers interested in developing a broad and inclusive understanding of Australian families and the cultural, social, political, economic, historical, and geographic environment in which they live. The contributions of Indigenous Australians, which date back 40,000 to 60,000 years are especially emphasized here.

Style And Consumption Among East African Muslim Immigrant Women: The Intersection Of Religion, Ethnicity, And Minority Status, Jennifer L. Barnes

Sociology Honors Projects

What meanings do people attach to dress style and consumption, how do these meanings vary among cultures, and how do immigrants and other multicultural actors negotiate the different systems of meaning they encounter in different cultures? My research examines the dress choices and shopping behaviors of East African Muslim immigrant women to explore whether and how they understand dress and consumer choices in the context of ethnicity, Islam, and their relationships with non-Muslim Americans. I conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews with nine East African Muslim women in their twenties living in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. I found that women use …

Paid Sick Time Helps Workers Balance Work And Family, Kristin Smith

Carsey Publications

In New Hampshire, workers fare better than workers nationally, yet one-quarter of Granite State workers do not have paid sick days. The lack of paid sick days places workers in a bind. They are forced to choose between caring for a sick family member or themselves and losing pay. This brief suggests that the long-term benefits of workers having paid sick days out way the cost for employers because it promotes less contagion among coworkers, increased productivity, and reduced turnover.

Resilience Of Gendered Spheres In Transnational Migration: An Interpretive Book Review Of Sheba Mariam George’S When Women Come First: Gender And Class In Transnational Migration, Jose Luis Calderon

The Qualitative Report

Dr. Sheba George’s ethnographic study based using participant observation and purposive sampling and an insider transnational journey to examine changes in family and social roles that result when nurses from Kerala, India immigrate to the US ahead of their husbands. The author concludes that the economic and political gain immigration affords nurses does not translate into enhanced social status for their family in India or for their husbands in the US when they undergo gender transferral to homemaker. This transference causes a shift in gender structure from the home to the community, in this case the church as a way …

Prize Winning Essays - 2009, Ann Abdoo

Citizens for Peace

To promote The Season of Nonviolence, Citizens for Peace sponsored an essay contest for Michigan high school and college students. Their essays had to answer the following question: How do nonviolent practices reduce conflict and create pathways to peace? Each winner was given the opportunity to read their essay at The Season for Nonviolence celebration on April 14, 2009. Both high school and college awards were $250, $100, and $50 each for first, second and third place.

The Season for Nonviolence began in 1998 when it was inaugurated at the United Nations. It was co-founded by the M.K. Gandhi Institute …

“Judaismo A Tu Manera”: What It Means To Be Jewish In 21st Century Buenos Aires, Gili Ben-Yosef

Sociology Honors Papers

In the summer of 2008 I set out to discover what it means to be Jewish in 21st century Buenos Aires. Through extensive field work, 22 formal interviews, visits to multiple Jewish organizations, and daily informal conversations, I gathered the information necessary to answer my question.

By focusing on three case studies of different Jewish institutions in Buenos Aires, this thesis aims to elucidate two points. First, that despite theories of sociologists such as Marx, Weber, and Durkheim who believed the importance of religion would fade with the onset of modernity and rational thought, religion has not yet disappeared. My …

Down From The Mountain: Skill Upgrading And Wages In Appalachia, Christopher Bollinger, James P. Ziliak, Kenneth R. Troske

University of Kentucky Center for Poverty Research Discussion Paper Series

Despite evidence that skilled labor is increasingly concentrated in cities, whether regional wage inequality is predominantly due to differences in skill levels or returns is unknown. We compare Appalachia, with its wide mix of urban and rural areas, to other parts of the U.S., and find that gaps in both skill levels and returns account for the lack of high wage male workers. For women, skill shortages are important across the distribution. Because rural wage gaps are insignificant, our results suggest that widening wage inequality between Appalachia and the rest of the U.S. owes to a shortage of skilled cities.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder In Combat Veterans And The Effect On Their Life And Marital Satisfaction, Amy Rodriguez Alford

Graduate Theses

Various studies have been conducted within our United States military service members and their problems with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). There are several factors as to why a combat veteran can develop PTSD (Committee on Gulf War and Health, 2008) , PTSD could effect their life and marital satisfaction. The present study consisted of 15 married couples, in which the husband has served combat duty in Iraq or Afghanistan. The total level of PTSD symptomology was compared to each individual's life and marital satisfaction. There was no significance correlations found between the husbands' PTSD symptoms and their quality of life, …

Using Archetypal Metaphor To Analyze Cultural Landscape: A Chlilean Case Study, Cari Bourette

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

In our increasingly complex and interactive world, it becomes ever more difficult to isolate and map the cultural identity of any given region, as bounded and contained cultural places have become a rare occurrence. To further complicate the matter, perspectives, loyalties, and identities shift with time, and appear to shift with circumstance. While cultural conflict per se was not the subject of this study, the ability to quantify differing cultural profiles in one location relative to another may be the beginning of the development of a tool for assessing degrees of difference in neighboring regions, and thus diagnosing the potential …

Marijuana Users In Their Own Words: Explaining The Continuation And Cessation Of Habitual Marijuana Use, Landon Shane Bevier

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This study is a qualitative examination of twenty current and former users of marijuana, using in-depth interviews as the units of analysis. The relationship between the participants’ perceived costs and rewards, type and amount of linguistic accounts used, as well as frequency of use are explored using Homans' exchange theory and Lyman and Scott’s theory of accounts. Reasons for continuation, regulation, and cessation of use are also studied. It is found that the participants use marijuana for a varied amount of reasons; these reasons directly influence how they account for their behavior as well as their frequency of use, particularly …

The Conceptualization Of Genocide In The International Media: A Case Study Of Darfur, Kayla Costello

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Cross-national crime studies are often plagued with conceptualization issues. In specific, some countries may define certain acts of violence as crimes, whereas others may perceive these acts as justifiable or culturally prescribed. This difference in conceptualization is especially the case with the crime of genocide, which the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide of 1948 defines “as any of a number of acts committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group.” Despite this legal definition, countries, organizations, institutions or individuals may label a crisis as …

The Heat Is On: Variations Among Male And Female Chefs, Brandi Wyatt-Hughes

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The primary purpose of this research was to examine a group of fourteen chefs, half male and half female, to determine the differences in the way male and female chefs do their job. To get an understanding of the perceptions of the chefs I conducted in-depth interviews with seven male chefs and seven female chefs. Definite differences were found in the way the chefs perceived their roles in the kitchen as well as how they managed their kitchens as a whole. Female chefs tended to manage their kitchens more collaboratively, thus creating and fostering a less emotional environment. Lack of …

Finances, Social Capital, And College Organizational Membership, Jalandra Michelle Penick

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

There were three focal objectives of this research. The research aimed to determine whether an association exists between perception of financial strain and involvement in campus clubs and organizations, actual finances, and involvement in clubs and organizations, and the levels of social capital generated by involvement in campus clubs and organizations. Results indicate that the perception of financial strain has no significant effect on involvement in campus clubs and activities. The analysis also reveals that actual finances have an insignificant relationship with involvement in campus clubs and organizations. There were significant relationships revealed when social capital was measured. The research …

Snapshot: The Impact Of Giving Together, Angela M. Eikenberry, Jessica Bearman, Hao Han, Melissa Brown, Courtney Jensen

Public Administration Faculty Publications

Donors in giving circles give more, give more strategically, and are more engaged in their communities, according to a new study by Dr. Angela Eikenberry and Jessica Bearman with research assistance from Melissa Brown, Hao Han, and Courtney Jensen. ever since giving circles—groups of individual donors who pool their money and other resources and decide together where these should be distributed—emerged as a philanthropic trend, we have speculated about their impact. Do donors give more or give differently because they are involved in a giving circle? Do they become more engaged and active in their communities? Are they more politically …

The Influence Of Inequality And Noneconomic Institutions On Cross-National Terrorist Incidents, Magan Savana Newton

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

To expand the research base concerning terrorism this study connects terrorist incidents on a global scale with economic and noneconomic institutional factors. Whereas most terrorism studies use social disorganization theory or anomie theory as their theoretical bases, this study uses institutional anomie theory (IAT) to examine the influence of economic and noneconomic institutions on terrorist-incident counts in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. The research employs the following five sources that are linked together: The Global Terrorism Database (GTD), World Bank Database, data from the University of Texas Inequality Project (UTIP), the United Nations (UN), and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). …

Ending America's Dependence On Foreign Oil: Risk Perceptions Among Texans, Jessica R. Aldridge

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Reliance on foreign oil is a major problem facing the United States due to uncontrollable prices, dealing with hostile nations, and oil wars. Demographic variables, risk perception, community attachment, environmental knowledge, and environmental attitudes of Texans were examined to determine which factors influence attitudes toward the hard- and soft-energy path for ending the U.S. Reliance on foreign oil. The data for this study were collected through a mailed questionnaire which included 1,228 Texans in 12 counties over three ecological regions. The dependent measures, hard-energy path and soft-energy path, were regressed on the independent and control variables to determine which factors …

Yes We Can: The Impact Membership In Black Greek Sororities Has On The Experience And Persistence Of Black Women Students At Predominantly White 4-Year Institutions, Rosiline D. Floyd

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the impact Black Greek Sorority membership has on the experience and persistence of Black women students at predominantly White 4-year institutions. Scholarly research has generally ignored both the postsecondary experiences of Black women and the relevance of Black Greek sororities. Existing research on Blacks in college primarily concentrated on negative statistics such as low graduation and attrition rates. Studies lump Black males and Black females together, failing to address the uniqueness of Black women. Consequently, the voice of Black women remains ignored or unheard and her experiences unsubstantiated. Similarly, Black Greek Letter …