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2012

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Articles 1441 - 1470 of 2653

Full-Text Articles in Sociology

Introduction, Daniel Paracka, Darina Lepadatu Apr 2012

Introduction, Daniel Paracka, Darina Lepadatu

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

Introduction to the issue.

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State Weakness In Post-Communist Romania And The Legacy Of Communism, Marian Negoita Apr 2012

State Weakness In Post-Communist Romania And The Legacy Of Communism, Marian Negoita

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

This paper examines the, effect of communist regimes on postcommunist state weakness through a detailed case study of the Romanian political system. The central claim is that the totalitarian, NeoStalinist communist Romanian regime was responsible for the postcommunist state weakness. Through such measures as cadre rotation, the "blending" of state and Party structures, and planning, the Romanian state apparatus was transformed into a servile conveyor belt for Nicolae Ceausescu's orders and ensured the hollowing-out of the state. This proved a major factor during the post-communist transformation, paving the way to post-communist patronage networks linking politicians, enterprise managers, and the state.

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Overcoming Communism's Dysfunctional Legacy: The Romanian Case, Paul E. Michelson Apr 2012

Overcoming Communism's Dysfunctional Legacy: The Romanian Case, Paul E. Michelson

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

The paper develops the idea that post-communist societies are dysfunctional societies and applies this analysis to a study of contemporary Romania, 1989-2011. It looks at how the historical experiences of Romania both before and during communist rule created such a society, the development of Romania as a dysfunctional society between 1989 and 2002, and assesses the progress Romania has made in dealing with its legacy between 2002 and 2011 on the basis of several international indices.

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Societal Sources Of Negative Attitudes Against The Roma: The Case Of Romania, Eliza Markley, Darina Lepadatu Apr 2012

Societal Sources Of Negative Attitudes Against The Roma: The Case Of Romania, Eliza Markley, Darina Lepadatu

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

Romania is the home of one of the largest Roma minorities in the world. This paper examined sources of negative attitudes toward the Roma in Romania by testing two explanations, that of societal integration and contact on a nationally representative sample. Our findings suggest that the negative attitudes against the Roma are largely driven by the type of relationships and contact that Romanians develop with the Roma. Having Roma in the family or as friends or colleagues at work decreases Romanians ' negative attitudes against the Roma. On the contrary, as the contact theory states, being in limited contact with …

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A Comparative Analysis Of The Transitional Effect Of Democratic Regime Change On Human Rights Development, Alana Mcelhinney Apr 2012

A Comparative Analysis Of The Transitional Effect Of Democratic Regime Change On Human Rights Development, Alana Mcelhinney

Political Science Theses and Capstones

It has been a long-standing topic of discussion within the field of political science on the extent to which the establishment of democratic regime characteristics influences the development of human rights. While there is considerable research in the areas of democracy and human rights, what the literature lacks is research towards the growth of democratic regime characteristics being causal to the development of human rights practices. This analysis shows that a transition in democratic regime characteristics is directly linked to the development of human rights. After completing case-study analysis and developing causal theory I take data from the years 1981 …

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Fitness Tax Credits: Costs, Benefits, And Viability, Daniel M. Reach Apr 2012

Fitness Tax Credits: Costs, Benefits, And Viability, Daniel M. Reach

Northwestern Journal of Law & Social Policy

As the number of overweight and obese Americans rises, it becomes increasingly clear that Americans need further incentives to stimulate lasting lifestyle changes. Tax incentives focused on exercise, which have been largely unexplored to this point, are an effective response to the growing obesity problem in the United States that would largely avoid the political opposition that tax policies focused on diet have encountered. In addition, they would also provide a more palatable solution for the taxpayer beneficiaries with a relatively low impact on government revenues. Viable tax incentives to encourage greater fitness include tax credits and sales tax breaks, …

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High Expectations And Some Wounded Hopes: The Policy And Politics Of A Uniform Statute On Videotaping Custodial Interrogations, Andrew E. Taslitz Apr 2012

High Expectations And Some Wounded Hopes: The Policy And Politics Of A Uniform Statute On Videotaping Custodial Interrogations, Andrew E. Taslitz

Northwestern Journal of Law & Social Policy

Much has been written about the need to videotape the entire process of police interrogation of suspects. Videotaping discourages abusive interrogation techniques, improves police training in proper techniques, reduces frivolous suppression motions, and improves jury decision making about the voluntariness and accuracy of a confession. Despite these benefits, only a small number of states have adopted legislation mandating electronic recording of the entire interrogation process. In the hope of accelerating legislative adoption of this procedure and of improving the quality of such legislation, the Uniform Law Commission (ULC) ratified a uniform recording statute for consideration by the states. I was …

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The ‘Narod’ In Narodnjaci: Perceptions Of Turbo Folk In Contemporary Sarajevo, Uchechi Esonu Apr 2012

The ‘Narod’ In Narodnjaci: Perceptions Of Turbo Folk In Contemporary Sarajevo, Uchechi Esonu

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Turbo Folk is often associated with the ultranationalism and violence of the Wars of Yugoslav Succession in the nineties. Working from the perspective of people who enjoy this music and/or frequent establishments where Turbo Folk is played in contemporary Sarajevo, I investigate the narratives employed by both listeners and detractors of Turbo Folk. What attributes or values are projected on the genre, in present day Sarajevo? Have these values changed from how the genre was perceived during the war in the 1990s? Is Turbo Folk political or politicized? Based on ethnographic field research conducted over the course of one month …

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Cambiar El Negocio De La Finca: Un Perfil Del Agroturismo En La Provincia De Herrera, Julianne Gagnon Apr 2012

Cambiar El Negocio De La Finca: Un Perfil Del Agroturismo En La Provincia De Herrera, Julianne Gagnon

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In 2008, Panama formulated a long-term tourism plan for the country, and agritourism was a main element that was being introduced. There are requirements and qualifications for a farm to be considered an agritourism farm by the Panamanian government and these farms are increasing in number each year. A farm must be accredited by both the Ministerio de Desarrollo Agropecuario (MIDA), which evaluates the agricultural practices for “buenas practicas,” and by the Autoridad de Turismo de Panama, which determines if the farm’s infrastructure is compatible with visitors. Since it is such a new form of tourism in Panama it is …

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The Minority Stress Perspective, Michael P. Dentato Apr 2012

The Minority Stress Perspective, Michael P. Dentato

Social Work: School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Other Works

The minority stress perspective adds significant insight into the critical application and evaluation of theory regarding the impact of homophobia and correlates of HIV risk among gay and bisexual men and other sexual minorities. Continued understanding of the role that stigma, prejudice, heteronormativity, rejection, and internalized homophobia play in fueling HIV and substance use among gay and bisexual men is also necessary.

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Hard Work, Overcoming, And Masculinity: An Ethnographic Account Of High School Wrestlers' Bodies And Cultural Worlds, Bryan Snyder Apr 2012

Hard Work, Overcoming, And Masculinity: An Ethnographic Account Of High School Wrestlers' Bodies And Cultural Worlds, Bryan Snyder

Department of Sociology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The dissertation explores the cultural worlds of high school wrestlers at an inner-city school in the Mountain West region of the United States. The data upon which this dissertation is based come from a ten-month ethnography, where I conducted “observant participation” (Wacquant 2011) and semi-structured, open-ended interviews with members of this school’s wrestling team. I approached both my data collection and analysis through cultural-sociological frames. Although I intend to contribute to a number of areas of specialization, in this dissertation I use high school wrestling as a site to ask basic questions about key sociological themes such as meaning, identity, …

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A Phenomenology Of The Meaning Of Motherhood For African American And Hispanic Women Who Do Not Have Children In The United States, Amy M. Clark Apr 2012

A Phenomenology Of The Meaning Of Motherhood For African American And Hispanic Women Who Do Not Have Children In The United States, Amy M. Clark

Department of Sociology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the meanings that childfree African American and Hispanic women place on motherhood and to better understand what impact these meanings may or may not have on the changing demographic of minority women who do not have children. This study used qualitative interviews and the method of phenomenology to elicit descriptions from a sample of African American and Hispanic women who do not have children. Specifically, the goal of this study was to explore how African American and Hispanic childfree women conceptualize their understanding of motherhood and to understand how these conceptualizations …

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“Todo Pasado Es Presente”: Racismo Abierto Y Confrontación Violenta En Cochabamba El 11 De Enero De 2007, Andrew Hernández Apr 2012

“Todo Pasado Es Presente”: Racismo Abierto Y Confrontación Violenta En Cochabamba El 11 De Enero De 2007, Andrew Hernández

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The city of Cochabamba, Bolivia in 2007 faced an extremely violent confrontation after protesters from the rural areas found themselves against the citizens of the city. The farmers from the rural areas (campesinos) came to protest recent calls from the Prefect Manfred Reyes Villa for autonomy through the use of blockades. The citizens, many from the middle to upper class, decided they wanted to “take back the city” and “defend democracy” in their efforts to eradicate the campesinos from the city. Through the use of oral histories and life stories I reconstruct January 11, 2007 and explore the degree to …

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Revolutionary Ideology In The Information Age: Technology Of The Occupy Wall Street Movement, Jed D. Blume Apr 2012

Revolutionary Ideology In The Information Age: Technology Of The Occupy Wall Street Movement, Jed D. Blume

Capstone Collection

The research presented in this project draws heavily on themes of social justice and human rights. The purpose of this inquiry is twofold. For one, it functions as an SIT Graduate Institute “Capstone,” which meets the graduation requirements for a Master’s degree from the school. Secondly, the function of this project is to provide a space to investigate how the theory and practice of contemporary social change utilizes today’s most powerful non-militaristic technology. The focus of my research is particularly concerned with my own participant observation in the Occupy Wall Street movement, which emerged in the United States in late …

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Korean Americans And Multiculturalism: Beyond The Demographics, Gabrielle Kim Apr 2012

Korean Americans And Multiculturalism: Beyond The Demographics, Gabrielle Kim

Global Tides

Samuel P. Huntington and the theory of the political good claim that any interactions between different religious and ethnic groups will bring about conflict. Therefore, “multiculturalism” only connotes the existence of more than one culture, with no hybridization between them. However, with increasing globalization and migration, it is becoming more difficult for a state to maintain one political identity. Through the example of Koreans in America and Korean-Americans, it will be shown that multiculturalism is not just a source of conflict, but actually connotes the harmonious combination of multiple cultures in one entity, becoming an identity itself.

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Sex Selective Abortion In India, Christine Myers Apr 2012

Sex Selective Abortion In India, Christine Myers

Global Tides

The report explores the prevalence of sex-selective abortion in India and its main causes. These include the patriarchal nature of Indian society and a general preference to have sons, as well as the availability and misuse of sex-determination technologies. It explores the consequences of sex-selective abortion, especially in regards to gender disparity and increased discrimination against women. Evidence of its prevalence, different contributing factors and debates and arguments regarding sex-selective abortion are discussed. The report addresses current legislation and enforcement as well as government and non-governmental initiatives and their successes and shortcomings. Analysis is given regarding what will be the …

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Delinquent Friends And Reactions To Strain: An Examination Of Direct And Indirect Pathways, Ryan E. Spohn Apr 2012

Delinquent Friends And Reactions To Strain: An Examination Of Direct And Indirect Pathways, Ryan E. Spohn

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Strain theorists acknowledge that only some strained individuals become involved in delinquency. Thus, a necessary research objective is to determine the conditions under which strain results in deviant adaptations. The goal of this research is to examine the conditioning effects of exposure to delinquent friends/peer pressure on the relationship between strain and delinquency. Whereas Agnew (1992, 2001, 2006) argues that a criminogenic environment will increase the effect of strain on delinquency, Warr’s (1993) research indicates that other correlates of delinquency lose their influence when adolescents are enmeshed in a network of delinquent peers. In testing these competing hypotheses, the current …

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The Impact Of Neighborhoods On Intimate Partner Violence And Victimization, Gillian M. Pichevsky, Emily M. Wright Apr 2012

The Impact Of Neighborhoods On Intimate Partner Violence And Victimization, Gillian M. Pichevsky, Emily M. Wright

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Research on intimate partner violence (IPV) and victimization is widespread across disciplines. To date, the majority of research underscores the importance of individual-level factors to explain IPV, thereby neglecting the significance of macro-level elements. Nevertheless, research suggests that the characteristics of the neighborhood where an individual lives are important for fully understanding IPV. This review focuses on the effects of neighborhoods and macro-level context on violence between intimate partners, specifically identifying empirical studies that have examined contextual predictors of IPV utilizing the major tenets of social disorganization theory. The authors note consistencies and differences across research results and describe study …

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The Politics Of H-1b Visa Limits, Fang Fang Apr 2012

The Politics Of H-1b Visa Limits, Fang Fang

Political Science Theses and Capstones

In recent years, the number of H-1B Visa (Temporary Work Visa) issued has increased tremendously. Various lobbying groups are devoted to persuading Congress to revise immigration laws and to increase the work visa issuance cap. The purpose of my study is to find out the how the H-1B Visa policy is effected by analyzing the lobbying expenditures of different economic sectors. Although there are abundant studies on the factors that affect immigration policies, there are few studies that concentrate specifically on the H-1B Visa. I combined campaign finance data and annual work visa data to assess the relationship between lobbying …

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Unemployed Veterans During A Recession: Factors Affecting The Completion Rate Of The Vocational Rehabilitation And Employment Program, Chris Witt Apr 2012

Unemployed Veterans During A Recession: Factors Affecting The Completion Rate Of The Vocational Rehabilitation And Employment Program, Chris Witt

Political Science Theses and Capstones

The purpose of my research is to determine what factors affect the outcome of the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment program. Previous literature examines individuals from each state in various stages of the program to determine which factors cause their individual outcome. Although previous research covered a broad spectrum of factors there still remains a lack of significant evidence to determine the observed outcome. I added state expenditures to the previous data to attempt to determine whether or not there is a correlation between funding and the completion of the program. I used the Department of Veteran Affairs 2007 Veterans Employability …

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The Effects Of Tribal Governments On Reservation Poverty Rates, Heather Raisch Apr 2012

The Effects Of Tribal Governments On Reservation Poverty Rates, Heather Raisch

Political Science Theses and Capstones

Poverty rates on Indian reservations are far higher than the national average. Since Tribal Governments have at least some control over these reservations, to what extent are they to blame for these higher than average poverty rates? I look at each reservation and their type of government, constitution, policies and demographics to analyze the causes of their poverty as it relates to tribal government. There are many other pieces of research that are similar to this, but none looking specifically at the overall effects the government has on its community. My hypothesis is that communities with higher poverty rates tend …

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Facebook Changing The Face Of Voting: How The Internet And Social Networking Sites Affected Youth Voting Behaviors In The 2008 Election, Aleesha M. Larsen Apr 2012

Facebook Changing The Face Of Voting: How The Internet And Social Networking Sites Affected Youth Voting Behaviors In The 2008 Election, Aleesha M. Larsen

Political Science Theses and Capstones

Since the eligible voting age was changed in 1972 to include 18-21 year-olds, turnout has been historically low for the youngest group of American voters. But, the 2008 election got young people to swarm the polls, resulting in one of the highest turnout rates, among the youngest age cohort, in history. The Obama campaign was the first to successfully use social networking sites, like Facebook and Twitter, to help mobilize and persuade young voters. In this study, I attempted to find how significant of a role in the Internet played in convincing voters aged 18-24 to vote in 2008, especially …

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Perceived Factors Influencing The Retention Rate Of Native American College Students: A Case Study, Tamara Louise Bergstrom Apr 2012

Perceived Factors Influencing The Retention Rate Of Native American College Students: A Case Study, Tamara Louise Bergstrom

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The number of Native Americans entering college is higher now than it has been over the past 40 years; however, the degree completion rate has been less than half that of White students. This research study was a bounded case study of Native American students enrolled in the teacher education program. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to identify the perceived factors influencing the retention rate of Native American college students. Some of the theoretical models that explain why students stay or leave an institution before earning a college degree look more toward explaining this phenomenon in a …

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Why Students Are Choosing Not To Participate In Honors And Advanced Placement Classes: The Phenomenon In One Georgia High School, Susan Buice Apr 2012

Why Students Are Choosing Not To Participate In Honors And Advanced Placement Classes: The Phenomenon In One Georgia High School, Susan Buice

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study is to determine the causes for high school students' decisions not to enroll in Honors or Advanced Placement (AP) courses. This study is a transcendental phenomenology whose participants are students who have been determined to be potentially successful in Advanced Placement classes by the AP Potential publication but who have chosen not to take any advanced classes. I will use an initial interest survey, individual interviews, and focus groups in order to gain knowledge from the students about their reasons for choosing not to participate in the Honors/AP classes. After coding the responses, I will …

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Standing In The Gap: A Study Of College-Bound Latinas' Resilience In Completing High School Within An At-Risk Environment, Shane York Apr 2012

Standing In The Gap: A Study Of College-Bound Latinas' Resilience In Completing High School Within An At-Risk Environment, Shane York

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to look at the life experience factors that led to high school graduation through the eyes of resilient Latinas between the ages of 18 and 25. A grounded theory approach was used in combination with Paulo Freire's praxis and a resiliency conceptual framework to derive constructs directly from the data itself. Participants were selected through a purposive, snowball method until saturation was met. Extensive qualitative interviews were employed to gather the data used to derive theory. All data were coded and reviewed in light of the three research questions. Validity and trustworthiness were established …

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A Values Comparison Of Liberty University Freshmen, Steve R. Vandegriff Apr 2012

A Values Comparison Of Liberty University Freshmen, Steve R. Vandegriff

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

There has been debate over generally accepted values, not only in the context of education, but also within the context of those who are considered people of faith. This study is an investigation to determine if there are any differences between the two contexts, with responses being drawn from students enrolled in a required introductory university course on the campus of a Christian university. The variables of this study will be gender and ethnicity, giving a picture of student values, prior to being influenced by university pedagogy. A survey was made available by Hogan Assessments, self-titled as Motives, Values Preferences …

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Florida Charter Schools: The Effects Of Types And Socioeconomic Status On Academic Achievement, Reginald Thompson Apr 2012

Florida Charter Schools: The Effects Of Types And Socioeconomic Status On Academic Achievement, Reginald Thompson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

No Child Left Behind (NCLB) was established in 2002 with the primary goal of closing the achievement gap between low socioeconomic students and their more advantaged peers. Charter schools are a part of NCLB's school choice policy and are intended to be a form of intervention to close the achievement gap. Much research has been conducted to measure charter school student achievement compared to regular public schools. But little has been done in distinguishing the differences between charter schools and their impact on student achievement. This quantitative study identifies the different types of public charter schools in Florida using Carpenter's …

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Exploring Hispanic Teenage Pregnancy And School Resiliency: A Hermeneutic Phenomenology Study, Olga Estrada Apr 2012

Exploring Hispanic Teenage Pregnancy And School Resiliency: A Hermeneutic Phenomenology Study, Olga Estrada

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Teenage mothers face multiple risk factors that may prevent them from graduating from high school. This study examined the phenomenon of Hispanic teen pregnancy and teen mothers' experiences with emphasis on academic, social , and personal factors to stay in school. The study explored the resiliency of twelve Hispanic teen mothers through a hermeneutic phenomenological approach. Their stories provide an insight into the challenges the young pregnant/mothers encountered during pregnancy and motherhood at home and in school. Their lived experiences also provide a framework for exploring the school, personal, and economic factors that most influenced their ability to remain in …

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A Heuristic Inquiry Into The Stress That Home Educators Experience, Jennifer Rathmell Apr 2012

A Heuristic Inquiry Into The Stress That Home Educators Experience, Jennifer Rathmell

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of the stress that families incur when they choose home education as their primary educational method. Extensive studies exist regarding stress that traditional education teacher's experience. However, the research on stress experienced by parents who are the primary educators of their children is limited. This study endeavored to provide insight and add to the home-education body of research. Using a heuristic inquiry research design, nine home educators participated in four data collection methods: a homeschool questionnaire, The Occupational Stress Inventory - Revised (OSI-R), a focus group, and individual interviews. …

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A Study Of Ethnic Minority College Students: A Relationship Among The Big Five Personality Traits, Cultural Intelligence, And Psychological Well-Being, Teresa Smith Apr 2012

A Study Of Ethnic Minority College Students: A Relationship Among The Big Five Personality Traits, Cultural Intelligence, And Psychological Well-Being, Teresa Smith

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Institutions of Higher Education are challenged to educate an increasing, diverse ethnic minority population. This study examines (1) if the theory of the Big Five personality traits as a predictor of the cultural intelligence theoretical model remains constant with ethnic minority college students attending a southeastern United States Historically Black College or University, and (2) if there is a predictive relationship between cultural intelligence and the psychological well-being of ethnic minority college students. Ethnic minority college students received an online survey that included demographic questions, the Cultural Intelligence Scale (Earley & Ang, 2003), Goldberg's (1999) Internal Personality Item Pool (IPIP), …

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