Sociology Commons^™

Unemployment In The Great Recession: Single Parents And Men Hit Hard, Marybeth J. Mattingly, Kristin Smith, Jessica A. Bean

Carsey Publications

This brief discusses the sweeping impact the Great Recession has had on Americans, particularly men, single parents, young adults, and people with less education. Using data from the 2007 and 2010 Annual Social and Economic Supplement of the Current Population Survey, the authors report that unemployment is highest among men and among unmarried adults, regardless of place or parenting status. Although this was also true before the recession, gaps between men and women, and the unmarried and married, have widened considerably during the recession. Also during the Great Recession, unemployment rose more in central cities and suburban places than in …

Family Farming And Economic Cooperation: The Emergence And Decline Of Agrarian Condominios In Southern Brazil, Flavio Sacco Dos Anjos, Eduardo Moyano Estrada, Nadia Vellada Caldas

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

In this work the authors analyze the Condominios as an example of economic cooperation adapted to the characteristics of family farming in the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina. The process of modernization of Brazilian agriculture that took place in the 1960s and 1970s under the military governments is analyzed with special attention to the selective and exclusionary effects this process had on the small farmers, along with a study of the development of cooperativism. The consolidation of macro-cooperative models demonstrated reflect the interests and characteristics of modernized, export-oriented agriculture. The origins and development of Condominios as an alternative to the …

An Empirical Note On The Social And Geographic Correlates Of Mexican Migration To The Southern United States, Frank L. Farmer, Zola K. Moon

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

This research empirically examines differences in the socioeconomic correlates of Mexican migrants to the southern region of the United States. More specifically, the research considers differences between Mexican immigrants choosing the South and those choosing other U.S. destinations. Using general estimating equations, the study provides evidence that several characteristics distinguish the stream of recent migrants choosing southern destinations. Notably, rural origins as well as rural destinations have substantial explanatory power. The results also show that immigrants to the South are likely to be pioneers in the sense that they do not have strong family-specific migration capital and are likely to …

Ua12/2/1 Topper Extra, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

Special edition of the College Heights Herald featuring athletics. Articles:

• Claybourn, Cole. Enough About the Logistics; Let’s Just Play Football
• Stephens, Brad. Fired Up Toppers Look for Milestone Win Over Kentucky in Nashville – Football
• Stephens, Brad. Bobby Rainey Looking to Improve on Record-Setting Season
• Players to Watch – Kawaun Jakes, Wes Jeffries, Quanterus Smith, Tyree Robinson
• Stephens, Brad. Willie Taggart’s First Recruits Now Looking to Lead WKU – Football
• Carson, Kurt. Students Making Plans for WKU – University of Kentucky – Football
• Lanter, Austin. Strong Start A Dream Come True for Freshman Leslie Chinn – Soccer
• Stephens, Brad. Defensive …

Of Unsound Mind And Body: A Statistical Test Of The Association Between Intimate Partner Violence And Chronic Physical And Mental Health Outcomes, Darryl Andre Brice

Dissertations (2 year embargo)

A growing body of literature, both academic and in the popular media, has focused on intimate partner violence (IPV) and its consequences. In addition to the acute physical, social, and economic consequence of IPV, IPV clearly causes great stress for IPV women. While research has shown an association between exposure to external stressors and poor chronic physical and mental health, known as the "stress-health hypothesis," few studies have extrapolated this to examine IPV as a stressor. The goal of this research is to do just that using preexisting data from the Chicago Women's Health Risk Study (CWHRS). The CWHRS is …

Evaluation Of The Global Association Between Cholesterol-Associated Polymorphisms And Alzheimer's Disease Suggests A Role For Rs3846662 And Hmgcr Splicing In Disease Risk, Christopher R. Simmons, Fanggeng Zou, Steven G Younkin, Steven Estus

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP)s that are essentially unequivocally associated with peripheral cholesterol. Since the alleles of the APOE gene, which modulate peripheral cholesterol metabolism, and midlife plasma cholesterol are both associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk, we have evaluated the hypothesis that SNPs associated with plasma cholesterol are also associated with AD.

RESULTS: Seventeen non-APOE SNPs reproducibly associated with cholesterol per GWAS were tested for association with AD in ~2,000 AD and ~4,000 non-AD subjects. As a group, these SNPs are associated with AD. Two SNPs in particular, rs3846662 and rs1532085, are …

A Comparison Of The Transition Of Denver Neighborhood Crime From 2000 To 2010, David Muenkel

Geography and the Environment: Graduate Student Capstones

The purpose of this project was to study crime in the City of Denver, Colorado and show how crime moves between neighborhoods over time. The study involved looking at crimes aggregated at the neighborhood level to determine how crime transitioned within the City of Denver from 2000 to 2010. The crime data was also compared with calls for service to determine how police activity and citizen reporting related to crime in the City of Denver. The results indicated that the City of Denver, while increasing in population from 554,636 in 2000 to 600,156 in 2010 had a reduction in the …

Crime And Social Strain In Fairfax County, Va: Using Geographical Information Science To Test For Social Strain In The Aftermath Of The Great Recession, Jason D. Reyes

Geography and the Environment: Graduate Student Capstones

Robert Merton, through the Social Strain Theory, suggests that crime exists because of society’s demands do not meet individuals needs. The following study is a qualitative study that first explains what the Social Strain Theory is, then tests to see if this theory has any validity to one of the most affluent counties in the United States. This study compares Fairfax County’s socioeconomic variables with the their crime data during the Great Recession to uncover any trends or patterns for which Robert Merton would say are due to high amounts of Social Strain. The overall results of the study suggest …

Professional Development For Teachers: Perceptions Of Northeast Tennessee Principals., Scott A. Starnes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study was designed for the purpose of quantitatively examining the perceptions of northeast Tennessee principals as they compared their system's professional development plans to Learning Forward's, formerly the National Staff Development Council, recently revised definition of professional development. The theoretical frameworks for this study lay in the recent works of Schlechty (2009) on transforming schools into learning organizations, and Senge (2006), who provided the essential principles of learning organizations.

Data were collected from 124 principals in 19 school systems in northeast Tennessee, using a 4-point Internet based survey created by Learning Forward to evaluate perceptions of how well professional …

Substance Abuse And Mental Disorders Among State And Federal Prison Inmates., John Richard Haggerty

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research consistently demonstrates that prison inmates are more likely than the general population to suffer from both mental disorders and substance abuse. The current study explored the relationship between diagnoses of mental disorders and maladaptive substance use among state and federal prison inmates. Linear regression analysis was used to ascertain the prevalence of comorbidity of substance abuse and mental disorder, and multiple models were constructed to determine the direction of relationship between the two disorders. Overall, mental disorders and substance use were positively related within the sample, though mixed conclusions were drawn regarding the exact nature of their relationship. Recommendations …

Rural Parents Mental Health Service Delivery Preferences: Overcoming Barriers To Care., Jeffrey H. Ellison

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Unique barriers prevent parents in rural areas from seeking mental health services for their children. The implementation of innovative models of service delivery may reduce these barriers' impact on rural parents' treatment seeking.

The purpose of this study was to determine: 1) parents' willingness to use innovative service delivery models; 2) barriers that parents perceive to seeking treatment in each of the 4 service delivery models, and; 3) the relationship between perceived barriers and willingness to seek help in the context of 4 service delivery models.

Surveys were distributed to parents of children attending school in several counties in rural …

Forgiveness Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms And Locus Of Control In A College Sample., Elizabeth Conway-Williams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Although forgiveness has been associated with reduced anxiety in several studies, and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is an anxiety disorder, the potential association between forgiveness and obsessive-compulsiveness has been generally unexplored. The current study examined the association between three dimensions of forgiveness and obsessive-compulsive (OC) symptoms as mediated by locus of control (LOC) in a college student sample (N = 241). Forgiveness of self (FS) and of others, but not feeling forgiven by God, were associated with overall OC symptoms and with a majority of symptom subscales. LOC was limited in its role as a mediator that was restricted to associations with …

Psychopathy And Gender Of Serial Killers: A Comparison Using The Pcl-R., Chasity Shalon Norris

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Psychopathy and serial murder are 2 of society's most devastating and least understood tribulations. Even less is comprehended with regards to the differences in the way these ills are expressed between the genders. In this study, psychopathic personality traits are considered in a sample comparison of male and female serial murderers. Traits are measured using questions derived from Hare's Psychopathy Checklist Revised (PCL-R, 1991). A content analysis was performed to score the components for each subject, using known and accepted biographical and personal interview materials. Findings showed a distinct difference between the sexes, with females scoring lower than their male …

Identifying Interventions That Work In Juvenile Justice: An Analysis Of The Moral Kombat Program., Thelma Deneen Mcgowan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Effective intervention programs play a fundamental role in reducing rates of juvenile delinquency. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an evidence-based psychotherapy that is strongly supported by research (ACT, 2010). Moral Kombat (MK) is an intervention that combines character-building and CBT concepts in programs for at-risk and delinquent juveniles with the goal to change their belief systems, thus improving their behaviors (Marchant, 2009). The purpose of the study was to evaluate the extent to which MK incorporates the principles identified in the literature as necessary for a CBT program to be successful. The occurrences of the 11 CBT principles identified in …

Does Decertification Work? Outcome Analysis Of The National Football Leagues Negotiated Order (1986-2008)., Matthew Bowers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For decades, union membership and activity has been declining in North America; employers have demanded greater flexibility and have successfully weakened workplace and worker protections. Modern workers increasingly use alternative strategies to negotiate conditions of employment with managers who have limited their discretionary power. Negotiated order theory provides a useful tool for analyzing the mesostructural arrangements of bargaining parties during labor disputes. This thesis applies negotiated order theory to explore how and why the National Football League (NFL) players have twice decertified their union and sought court intervention to challenge the legitimacy of the League's highly restrictive reserve system. An …

Kentucky American Legion School Masters' Club (Sc 2469), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 1469. Constitution and bylaws of the Kentucky American Legion School Masters' Club, an organization formed to advance the goals of education and open to Legionnaires with teaching experience.

Delineator Club (Mss 369), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 369. Records of the Delineator Club, a Bowling Green, Kentucky literary club for women. Includes constitution, bylaws, minutes, financial records, yearbooks, photographs, correspondence, and summary historical notes prepared for the club's 25th anniversary.

Impact, Sustainability, And Dependency: The Case Of Empower Playgrounds, Inc., Ammon B. Franklin

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis studies impact, sustainability, and dependency in the nonprofit sector. Empower Playgrounds, Inc. (EPI) is a nonprofit organization working to improve educational conditions in Africa through educational recreation, lighting for education, and hands-on science labs. A social impact assessment I performed for EPI in 2008 creates the context for discussion of EPI's sustainability. Dependency results from a lack of sufficient conditions for sustainability—resources, capability, and opportunity—which I elucidate in a framework of corresponding theories of capital. Using this sufficiency framework I analyze the resources, capabilities, and opportunities required for EPI program sustainability, determine unmet conditions, and propose solutions to …

The Sex Ratio Tipping Point: An Exploration Of Crime During Frontier America, Steven Matthew Stearmer

Theses and Dissertations

Prior research confirms that the number of men in a population is associated with elevated levels of crime. The connection between higher numbers of males relative to females and crime is far less studied in larger aggregate populations, and the nature of the relationship is less clear. This study seeks to answer three questions: are unbalanced sex ratios associated with crime at the state level? At what level does the skew begin to matter? How quickly is the impact observed? These questions are examined through analysis of a novel longitudinal dataset of social characteristics and crime indicators for frontier American …

Naturalized Mexican Immigrants And Their Voting Behavior, Cynthia Hernandez

Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP)

Explain determinants of voting with a main focus on the effect of membership in Mexican hometown associations. In particular, does membership make it more or less likely that Mexican immigrants who have naturalized will vote?

The Good Life: Mormons And Money, Rachel Donaldson Cranney

Theses and Dissertations

This research addresses the paradoxical beliefs and conceptualizations about money and stewardship among young adult Mormons and its consequences for the Mormon identity. The findings for this paper are based on 12 in-depth interviews with Brigham Young University students, recently graduated students, and, when applicable, their spouses, totaling 20 interviewees between the ages of 20 and 31. The data suggest that unique beliefs surrounding money have emerged from the Mormon culture as remnants of their early Mormon values still lingering in contemporary Mormon culture clash with the individualistic and consumer culture surrounding the interviewees. Interviewees demonstrate cognitive dissonance as they …

Gender Differences In The Effects Of Exposure To Intimate Partner Violence On Adolescent Violence And Drug Use, Abigail A. Fagan, Emily M. Wright

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Objective

This study investigated the long-term effects of exposure to intimate partner violence in the home on adolescent violence and drug use and gender differences in these relationships. Although the general relationship between exposure to IPV and negative outcomes for youth has been demonstrated in past research, gender differences in the effects of IPV on adolescents have been rarely assessed using longitudinal data.

Methods

Longitudinal data was obtained from 1,315 adolescents and their primary caregivers participating in the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods (PHDCN). The sample was 51% female and ethnically diverse (45% Hispanic, 37% African-American, and 14% …

Youth Initiative Hector’S Helpers: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Covering April 16, 2011 – August 5, 2011, Hector's Helpers

Anti-littering Programs

The Hector’s Helpers program was in full action this quarter. Students at Roy Martin Middle School completed their environmental stewardship project. Our team produced and distributed promotional flyers in order to increase Clark County School participation in Hector’s Helpers. In addition this quarter, the Hector’s Helpers team was showcased in a news segment aired by Las Vegas City Scene.

Courageous Peace, Ann Abdoo

Citizens for Peace

Is peace a sign of courage or weakness? This essay addresses the issue. It was published in the Michigan Department of Peace Campaign, Political Action Guide 2009-2010.

The Political Action Guide is published by Citizens for Peace, a grassroots organization from Michigan's 11th Congressional District. The Guide inclues information on the Department of Peace Legislation, historical and current as well as information on ways to become politically active.

Within the Guide, there is also a directory of many Michigan organizations working for a more peaceful world and the websites of national organizations.

To acquire a current edition, contact Colleen …

Ike Was Right, Ann Abdoo

Citizens for Peace

This essay gives an overview of nuclear proliferation, and President Dwight (Ike) D. Eisenhower's warning about the military-industrial complex and his proposal for a more peaceful world. It was published in the Michigan Department of Peace Campaign, Political Action Guide 2011-2013.

The Political Action Guide is published by Citiens for Peace, a grassroots organization from Michigan's 11th Congressional District. The Guide includes information on the Department of Peace Legislation, historical and current as well as information on ways to become politically active.

Within the Guide, there is also a directory of many Michigan organizations working for a more peaceful …

Proposed Community Action Plan For Casa Cornelia Law Center, Allison Bechill, Scott Campbell, Casey Mckinley

Community Engagement and Collaboration

Casa Cornelia and scores of other public and private agencies rely on interpreters and translators for communicating with immigrants and their communities. Volunteer support overcomes language barriers and ensures that all clients have access to support services in a culturally and linguistically appropriate manner. Unfortunately, there is often a lack of qualified volunteer interpreters and translators available, most acutely for its Somali clients, which comprise the largest percentage of its Asylum Program’s caseload.

This paper considers possible solutions to the insufficient number of volunteers that are currently available to Casa Cornelia.

Helping Behavior In A Globalized Community, Jenny M. Savely

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study examines the participation of post-Katrina residents in neighborhoods of New Orleans’ Upper 9 th Ward. I examine respondent self-concepts and attachment to the community to gain understanding of how individuals participate in voluntary helping behavior in their locality. Interview data, brief economic and cultural examination of the area, and my observations as a resident of the Upper 9 th Ward inform analysis. The experiences of respondents suggest that there is a tension between an individual’s need to seek selfverificationand their understanding of themselves and others within their own neighborhood. Respondents’ understanding of the impact of their own …

Organizing For Freedom: The Angola Special Civics Project, 1987-1992, Lydia Pelot-Hobbs

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

During the 1980s and 1990s, the US prison system was expanding at an unprecedented rate. This research charts how prisoners at the nation’s largest maximum-security prison, the Louisiana State Penitentiary, commonly referred to as Angola, founded the Angola Special Civics Project to collectively organize for prison reform. Using a combination of oral history and archival research, this thesis argues that the Angola Special Civics Project emerged during an era of political opportunity created by the coupling of political openings and contractions. Unlike outside advocates who focused their reform efforts on internal conditions, the Angola Special Civics Project centering of prisoners’ …

Continuity And Change In Coos County: Results From The 2010 North Country Cera Survey, Chris R. Colocousis, Justin R. Young

Carsey Publications

This brief from Chris Colocousis and Justin Young uses the most recent North Country CERA survey to focus on change and continuity in Coos County between 2007 and 2010, and then makes comparisons of the present conditions across the three study counties. The authors examine such topics as community problems, environmental and economic concerns, and community cohesion and confidence in the local government. They report that Coos County residents remain highly concerned about the lack of economic opportunities in the region, and their concern about population decline has increased in recent years. Coos residents see the economic future of their …

Coaching Versus Family: The Consequences Of The Work-Family Conflict Among Male Collegiate Head Coaches, John T. Avritt

Graduate Theses

Researchers have shown that coaches experience burnout due to role conflict, role ambiguity, and work-family conflicts (Kelley & Baghurst, 2009). The demands of being a coach are many. When a coach has a spouse and children, a work-family conflict can develop. Work-family conflict in coaching is created when the coach cannot effectively balance the time and attention demands for both the job and home. Naturally, consequences arise as a result of this conflict. The purpose of this study was to better understand what consequences exist in the lives of male, collegiate head coaches and to provide suggestions for effectively managing …