Sociology Commons^™

Lasrealidades Y Los Desafíosde Los Padres Adolescentes. Valparaíso, Chile, Kenechukwu Nwosu

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Research on adolescent parenthood for a long time all but ignored the realities of adolescent fathers, butsignificant interest has arisen in the past decade in this area. In Chile, however, the literature remains scarce. The following study describes and analyzes adolescent paternity through the experiences of six young fathers. Individual interviews with the men touched on the ways in which they have handled the untimely transition to fatherhood, as well as the challenges and obstacles to active participation in their children’s lives. The fathers expressedhighly positive views of paternity and recognized the importance not only of their financial contribution but …

The Role Of Grupo Nzinga De Capoeira Angola In The Empowerment And Development Of Children From The Community Of Alto Da Sereia, Mariana Cardona

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Despite Brazil being one of the largest economies in the world, exclusion and child poverty remain as some of the most pressing social issues throughout the country. Child poverty is extremely problematic in Salvador da Bahia, where children from underprivileged communities are vulnerable to violence, exclusion, drug trafficking and prostitution. Grupo Nzinga de Capoeira Angola is an organization founded by Mestra Janja Araujo in 1995, whose main mission is to defend the rights of children and adolescents, fight against racial and gender discrimination, preserve and promote Afro-Brazilian culture, and empower girls, children and women. This paper seeks to understand how …

Genocide In Northeast Brazil: Dismantling Colonial Legacies Of Contemporary State Violence In Salvador, Kelsi Sleet

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The systematic use of violence by the police a lead me to the city of Salvador, Bahia, a city where 80% of the population is Afro-Brazilian. Using a framework of structural violence I develop a critical understanding of how contemporary manifestations of colonialism impact black people in Salvador, Bahia. Through this research I problematize the idea of the “racial democracy” to understand how black people are experiencing the direct use of violence by the Brazilian state in the form of anti-black genocide. I ask how Black Brazilian activists in Salvador resist and challenge state violence, specifically in the context of …

La Radio Comunitaria: Hacia Un Futuro Más Democrático Para Bolivia, Katharine Norris

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Radio has been a companion of and crucial partner in democratic social change in Bolivia since its arrival to the country. Many of its inherent characteristics make it an ideal medium for communication of messages made for and by marginalized groups that are otherwise excluded from the production of and access to information. Historically, radio has been implemented in processes of progressive resistance to authority, in response to the oppression of the groups that community radio seeks to represent. This investigation attempts to understand the role of community radio in Bolivian society, with a view towards the democratic participation and …

Predictors Of Self-Esteem In Children Exposed To Potentially Traumatic Events, Colleen Michelle Ray

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

Self-esteem is not only important for the well being of a child, but the effects of low levels of self-esteem can continue well into adulthood. Past research identifies many possible predictors of self-esteem including: age, gender, Ethnicity, interpersonal relationships, parenting techniques and locus of control. One downfall of previous literature is the lack of exploration performed with high-risk samples. This study aims to begin to fill this void.

Utilizing data from the INVEST project, the current analysis examines predictors of self esteem among 161 children and adolescents aged 8-17, referred to a hospital based Child Advocacy Center due to exposure …

Interference Archive: A Free Space For Social Movement Culture, Alycia Sellie, Jesse Goldstein, Molly Fair, Jennifer Hoyer

Publications and Research

This paper discusses activist archives within the context of community archives and the practices of archiving activism. Interference Archive (IA), a volunteer-run independent archive in Brooklyn, New York, is presented as one example of an activist archive. We explain the manner in which IA functions as a transmovement and prefigurative “free space” under Francis Poletta’s typology of movement spaces. Through this explanation, we illustrate how the structures of free spaces can help us understand the way activist archives forge connections between communities and the ways that they create new networks of solidarity through the archival process.

Wsq: Child Editor's Note, Cynthia Chris, Matt Brim

Publications and Research

This Editor's Note introduces the WSQ issue "Child," co-edited by Sarah Chinn and Anna Mae Duane, which takes a kaleidoscopically interdisciplinary approach to childhood studies, focusing on the legibility and autonomy of children.

Witnesses To Revolution, Colleen Cassingham

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

My documentary follows two families 4 years after the Tunisian Revolution. All members in the Daly family from Sidi Bouzid participated in the revolution, and the Laroussi family in La Goulette had two brothers martyred on January 14^th, 2011. The film explores the effects of the revolution – emotional, economic, and social – on all the various family members. As we get glimpses into the daily life of two main characters, we see that reactions to the revolution are diverse, although the notion of the ‘Tunisian exception’ is held up to scrutiny by the overwhelmingly negative reactions to …

Latinos In Massachusetts Public Schools: Chelsea, Michael Berardino

Gastón Institute Publications

This report provides a snapshot of current educational outcomes for Latino students in the city of Chelsea. It is based on publicly available data from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (MADESE) that have been analyzed for the community by the Gastón Institute. Using the ethnoracial categories assigned by MADESE, the report focuses on demographic trends and the most recent educational outcomes of Latino students relative to other ethno-racial groups in the school district and to students statewide. The report has three sections:

The first section illustrates the demographic shift occurring in the Chelsea Public Schools. Enrollment has …

Latinos In Massachusetts Public Schools: Boston, Michael Berardino

Gastón Institute Publications

This report provides a snapshot of current educational outcomes for Latino students in the city of Boston. It is based on publicly available data from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (MADESE) that have been analyzed for the community by the Gastón Institute. Using the ethno-racial categories assigned by MADESE, the report focuses on demographic trends and the most recent educational outcomes of Latino students relative to other ethnoracial groups in the school district and to students statewide. The report has four sections:

The first section illustrates the demographic shift occurring in the Boston Public Schools. Enrollment among …

Latinos In Massachusetts Public Schools: Everett, Michael Berardino

Gastón Institute Publications

This report provides a snapshot of current educational outcomes for Latino students in the city of Everett. It is based on publicly available data from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (MADESE) that have been analyzed for the community by the Gastón Institute. Using the ethno-racial categories assigned by MADESE, the report focuses on demographic trends and the most recent educational outcomes of Latino students relative to other ethnoracial groups in the school district and to students statewide. The report has three sections:

The first section illustrates the demographic shift occurring in the Everett Public Schools. Enrollment has …

Latinos In Massachusetts Public Schools: Framingham, Michael Berardino, Priyanka Kabir

Gastón Institute Publications

This report provides a snapshot of current educational outcomes for Latino students in the city of Framingham. It is based on publicly available data from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (MADESE) that have been analyzed for the community by the Gastón Institute. Using the ethno-racial categories assigned by MADESE, the report focuses on demographic trends and the most recent educational outcomes of Latino students relative to other ethno-racial groups in the school district and to students statewide. The report has three sections:

The first section illustrates the demographic shift occurring in the Framingham Public Schools. The number …

Latinos In Massachusetts Public Schools: Lynn, Michael Berardino

Gastón Institute Publications

This report provides a snapshot of current educational outcomes for Latino students in the city of Lynn. It is based on publicly available data from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (MADESE) that have been analyzed for the community by the Gastón Institute. Using the ethno-racial categories assigned by MADESE, the report focuses on demographic trends and the most recent educational outcomes of Latino students relative to other ethno-racial groups in the school district and to students statewide. The report has four sections:

The first section illustrates the demographic shift occurring in the Lynn Public Schools. Enrollment among …

Latinos In Massachusetts Public Schools: Revere, Michael Berardino

Gastón Institute Publications

This report provides a snapshot of current educational outcomes for Latino students in the city of Revere. It is based on publicly available data from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (MADESE) that have been analyzed for the community by the Gastón Institute. Using the ethno-racial categories assigned by MADESE, the report focuses on demographic trends and the most recent educational outcomes of Latino students relative to other ethnoracial groups in the school district and to students statewide. The report has three sections:

The first section illustrates the demographic shift occurring in the Revere Public Schools. Even as …

Latinos In Massachusetts Public Schools: Salem, Michael Berardino

Gastón Institute Publications

This report provides a snapshot of current educational outcomes for Latino students in the city of Salem. It is based on publicly available data from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (MADESE) that have been analyzed for the community by the Gastón Institute. Using the ethno-racial categories assigned by MADESE, the report focuses on demographic trends and the most recent educational outcomes of Latino students relative to other ethnoracial groups in the school district and to students statewide. The report has three sections:

The first section illustrates the demographic shift occurring in the Salem Public Schools. The number …

Latinos In Massachusetts Public Schools: Somerville, Michael Berardino

Gastón Institute Publications

This report provides a snapshot of current educational outcomes for Latino students in the city of Somerville. It is based on publicly available data from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (MADESE) that have been analyzed for the community by the Gastón Institute. Using the ethnoracial categories assigned by MADESE, the report focuses on demographic trends and the most recent educational outcomes of Latino students relative to other ethno-racial groups in the school district and to students statewide. The report has three sections:

The first section illustrates the demographic shift occurring in the Somerville Public Schools. Enrollment has …

A Savage Journey To The Heart Of Literary Freedom: Gonzo Journalism As A Vehicle For Social Criticism In The Literary Nonfiction Of Hunter S. Thompson, Jeffrey J. Horvath

Student Publications

As a professional journalist Hunter S. Thompson made it his mission to expose and defy structures of American society which he believed inhibited the exercise of personal freedom and, consequently, made realizing the “American Dream” impossible. Through his unique voice and style of literary nonfiction known as “Gonzo Journalism” Thompson is able to debunk the myth of the American Dream by attacking false conceptions of it, thereby highlighting the failures of both these conceptions and the structures of society, politics, class, and authority which give rise to them. This thesis traces the genesis of Gonzo Journalism’s formal features and themes …

Determining The Effect Of The Minimum Wage On Income Inequality, Benjamin S. Litwin

Student Publications

Many recent studies have shown a significant increase to income inequality since the 1980s. One of the proposed methods for fixing this trend is to increase the minimum wage, since this policy would help those at the low end of the income spectrum to see economic growth. To analyze the effectiveness of this policy, we studied data from countries that are part of the Organization for Economic Development and Cooperation. By forming an econometric model to account for many factors that affect income inequality in nations around the world, including the real value of the minimum wage, we can determine …

The Effect Of Women In Government On Government Effectiveness, Abigail L. Tootell

Student Publications

A critical factor of gender and development is the political empowerment of women. Beyond this equality, however, what are the effects of women in government? This paper investigates these effects by examining the relationship between the percentage of women in parliament and overall government effectiveness. The research strongly supports the theory that women are more effective political leaders than their male counterparts.

Assessing Reconstruction: Did The South Undergo Revolutionary Change?, Lauren H. Sobotka

Student Publications

With the end of the Civil War, came a number of unanswered questions Reconstruction would attempt to answer for the South. While the South underwent economic, political and social changes for a short period, old traditions continued to persist resulting in racist sentiment.

Liberation Through Domination: Bdsm Culture And Submissive-Role Women, Lisa R. Rivoli

Student Publications

The alternative sexual practices of bondage and discipline, dominance and submission, and sadism and masochism (BDSM) are practiced by people all over the world. In this paper, I will examine the experiences of five submissive-role women in the Netherlands and five in south-central Pennsylvania, focusing specifically on how their involvement with the BDSM community and BDSM culture influences their self-perspective.I will begin my analysis by exploring anthropological perspectives of BDSM and their usefulness in studying sexual counterculture, followed by a consideration of feminist critiques of BDSM and societal barriers faced by women in the community. I will then address the …

Investigating Sexual Violence As A Weapon Of War In The Democratic Republic Of Congo (Drc) Through Critical Discourse Analysis, Amanda R. Kaste

Student Publications

This paper addresses the large-scale sexual violence that has taken place (and still continues) within the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) using critical discourse analysis. Disturbing statistics have resulted in the identification of the DRC as the "rape capital of the world," and a variety of national, regional, and international actors have employed sexual violence as a weapon of war. Victims frequently receive little assistance, perpetrators act without fear of serious repercussions, and the government of the DRC fails to successfully implement relative legislation. Through an investigation of the discourse surrounding victims, perpetrators, and political institutions respectively, I will develop …

“Welcome To The Feminist Cult”: Building A Feminist Community Of Practice On Tumblr, Sarah M. Connelly

Student Publications

Over the course of the last twenty years, the internet has become a powerful tool for the mobilization of social movements because of its ease of access, its allowance for greater control of organization and communication, and its rapid spread and dissemination of ideas. Tumblr, a micro-blogging site that is comprised of 227.6 million blogs and 106.3 billion posts by March 2015, is one of the most significant locations of social activism online. In recent years, Tumblr has become a platform for highly involved feminist dialogue because of the ability for like-minded users to follow and reblog posts regarding feminist …

Broken Promises: The Case Of Mothers Of Srebrenica Vs. The State Of The Netherlands, Victoria E. Mohr

Student Publications

Critical discourse analysis of the legal proceedings of the Mothers of Srebrenica case brought against the UN and the Dutch government. This analysis explores the nature of culpability and blame-making among international actors.

Running Through Gender: Exploring The Effects Of Hegemonic Masculinity And Femininity On Gettysburg Cross Country Athletes, Olivia D. Powell

Student Publications

The general consensus regarding athletic participation is that it is beneficial to a person’s overall well being. The Women’s Sports Foundation states that girls and women who play sports have higher levels of confidence and self-esteem, lower levels of depression, a more positive body image, and experience higher states of psychological well-being than girls and women who do not play sports. In fact, girls who play sports are more likely to get better grades in school, and are more likely to graduate than girls who do not play sports.1 These statements are circulated as being universal truths. Despite many studies …

Peering Into The Jezebel Archetype In African American Culture And Emancipating Her From Hyper-Sexuality: Within And Beyond James Baldwin’S 'Go Tell It On The Mountain' And Alice Walker’S 'The Color Purple', Zakiya A. Brown

Student Publications

Literary authors and performing artists are redefining the image of the Jezebel archetype from a negative stereotype to an empowering persona. The reformation of the Jezebel’s identity and reputation, from a manipulating stereotype to an uplifting individual may not be a common occurrence, but the Jezebel archetype as a positive figure has earned a dignified position in literature and in reality. Jezebel archetypes wear their sexuality proudly. Her sultriness may be the first aspect of her identity that readers see, but readers must be cautious not to overlook her merit and moral standards as a character that has the potential …

Women's Social Rights: Untapped Economic Potential, Monae S. Evans

Student Publications

This paper analyzes whether women’s social rights play a role in fostering higher levels of economic development. Prior development initiatives and economic policies failed to account for the productive capacities of women by discriminating against their basic rights to things such as an equitable education, equal inheritance, and marital rights. Applying the CIRI (Cingranelli-Richards Human Rights) dataset for women’s social rights, I found that improvements in these areas of human rights leads to significant increases in real GDP per capita, which highlights the need for development analysts and economists to focus their attention on countries’ most viable productive resource, women.

Factors Influencing The Likelihood Of Using Religion As A Coping Mechanism In Response To Life Event Stressors, Nicole R. Cornell

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

Stress is an aspect of daily life. Stressors can be mentally taxing to an individual and cause negative effects when it comes to health. To combat stress, most individuals implement one or more personal coping mechanisms. However, though individuals may encounter similar stressors in life, each person combats the accompanied stress in vastly different ways. In some cases, individuals turn to religion to make sense of their circumstances and buffer their stress (Nash 2006; Jacobson, et al. 2006). Most previous research has looked at whether religion functions as an effective coping mechanism while not necessarily addressing why certain people use …

Global Network Inference From Ego Network Samples: Testing A Simulation Approach, Jeffrey A. Smith

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Network sampling poses a radical idea: that it is possible to measure global network structure without the full population coverage assumed in most network studies. Network sampling is only useful, however, if a researcher can produce accurate global network estimates. This article explores the practicality of making network inference, focusing on the approach introduced in Smith (2012). The method uses sampled ego network data and simulation techniques to make inference about the global features of the true, unknown network. The validity check here includes more difficult scenarios than previous tests, including those that go beyond the initial scope conditions of …

Capitalizing On Distinctiveness: Creating West Virginia For A New Economy, Brian A. Hoey

Sociology and Anthropology Faculty Research

This paper explores use of images and ideas of place to promote particular social and economic agendas within the regional context of Appalachia. Despite prevailing imageries of backwardness and isolation that adhere to the region, as well as recent history of often-bleak economic conditions, communities such as Huntington, West Virginia, are ideal places to observe inventive forms of community-building, place-making, and place-marketing that borrow from emerging cultural and economic models and stand in sharp contrast to a once-dominant paradigm that encouraged capital investment by relying simply on tax breaks and the provision of cheap land and labor to attract large, …