Sociology Commons^™

Dislocation And Adjustment Of International Student-Athletes, Thiago Brito Lopes

Master's Theses

One reason that attracts international student-athletes to American universities could be the interest in earning high quality education with the possibility of playing high performance sports. However, when compared to other international students, differences are seen: Other foreign students who look for a degree in the US desire not only an international education, but also potentially staying in the country. The University of San Francisco, where a cosmopolitan city meets education, fits it best. At USF, 82 countries are represented, reaching a number of 1708 students. Approximately ¼ of the whole student population is international. The ratio with student-athletes is …

Power, Subjectivity, And Life In Spain: A Continuation Of Elite Power, Matthew Mason

Master's Theses

On December 20, Spain will hold national elections to determine the new prime minister and national and local parliaments. These elections will be another crossroads in the long history of Spain. The elections come about in a political and social atmosphere of ‘change’ and ‘regeneration,’ marked by the rise of two new political parties, Podemos and Ciudanos. These parties are the new forces in the political scene in Spain. This atmosphere of change is the result of the 2008 economic crisis. The economic crisis of 2008 was not only an economic crisis in Spain, but it provoked a political and …

Evolution Of A Nation After A Dictatorship: How Law, Politics And Society Of The 1973 Dictatorship In Uruguay And Of The Subsequent Return Of Democracy In 1985, Potentially Helped Evolve The Nation Of Today., Jonathan A. Fein Proaño

Master's Theses

In 1973, Uruguay’s president authored a coup d’état with the military and changed the history and fabric of Uruguay. Once democracy returned to Uruguay in 1985, it was a chance to see if an evolution of the law, politics and society would occur. This thesis aims to analyze and understand the patterns of change and de-evolution or evolution that happened during the dictatorship and then over the last 30 years. I break down the process of changes that happened legally and politically, how the dictatorship and its leaders used law to destroy rule of law, and how society changed.

This …

Preserving Personhood In Individuals With Cognitive Impairment: A Caregiver's Role, Maren Legg

Honors Projects

This project consists of an educational program for informal caregivers in the Bowling Green community on preserving personhood in individuals with cognitive impairments through caregiving experiences. The program was based on a copious amount of research regarding personhood, how personhood relates to individuals experiencing cognitive impairment, and how care provided by caregivers can be provided in a way that promotes and preserves an individual’s personality, personhood, and selfhood.

The program was developed over the span of four months and incorporates models of personhood, behaviors that threaten and preserve or promote personhood, as well as practical suggestions for strategies in how …

A Holiday Greeting That Applies To Everyone, Terri Susan Fine

UCF Forum

The Thanksgiving holiday season brought with it interesting discussions about “the holidays” – so many holidays are celebrated by people of different cultures, religious backgrounds and nations of origin.

2014 Data Indicate That Four In Ten Children Live In Low-Income Families, Jess Carson, Andrew P. Schaefer, Marybeth J. Mattingly

Carsey Publications

In this brief, authors Jessica Carson, Andrew Schaefer, and Marybeth Mattingly use American Community Survey data to explore child poverty rates across the United States by region, state, and place type (rural, suburban, and city). They also examine data on children who are deeply poor (those in families with incomes below half of the poverty line), as well as low-income children (those in families with incomes less than twice the poverty line). They report that in 2014, more than four in ten children (44.1 percent) lived in low-income families. More than one-fifth of children (21.7 percent) were poor, and nearly …

Gender And Attitudes About Mental Health Help Seeking: Results From National Data, Douglas Wendt, Kevin Shafer

Faculty Publications

Men often express less emotion than women do, are hesitant to express weakness, and seek professional help much less frequently than do their female counterparts. The lack of help seeking is common across characteristics such as age, race, ethnicity, and nationality. Authors used data from the 2006 General Social Surveys mental health module to suggest that the gender gap in help seeking may be rooted in attitudes regarding help-seeking behaviors generally. Using structural equation modeling, we linked vignette type (depression and schizophrenia) to the endorsement of help seeking from informal and formal sources. Men showed similar support for informal help …

Freedom Rides (Sc 2966), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 2966. “Official Application for Freedom Riders,” a parody application for civil rights activists intending to protest segregation in Southern interstate bus terminals, to be submitted to George Rockwell, Hell Raiders, Inc., Arlington, Virginia, asks for data such as “Address” (“Place where body can be sent”); “Do you bleed easily?”; “State how you prefer to defend yourself” (Fisticuffs, Hand Grenade, etc.); and “State your wish for the following” (Rope neck size, bullet caliber, coffin color, etc.)

Deaths Exceed Births In Most Of Europe, But Not In The United States, Kenneth M. Johnson, Layton M. Fields, Dudley L. Poston Jr.

Carsey Publications

In this brief, authors Kenneth Johnson, Layton Fields, and Dudley Poston, Jr. present important new findings about the diminishing number of births compared to deaths in Europe and the United States from their recent article in Population and Development Review. Their research focuses on the prevalence and dynamics of natural decrease in subareas of Europe and the United States in the first decade of the twenty-first century using counties (United States) or county-equivalents (Europe). The authors report that 58 percent of the 1,391 counties of Europe had more deaths than births during that period compared to just 28 percent …

The Centrality Of Participant Voice In Illuminating The Gender Regime In Education Research Using A Human Capabilities Analysis, Catherine Vanner

Comparative and International Education / Éducation Comparée et Internationale

The human capabilities approach distinguishes between capabilities (a person’s ability to choose what she wants to do/be) and functionings (actually doing/being what she wants). When used to analyze gender equality in education, it draws attention to the nature of education and the extent to which it is equally empowering for girls and boys. This research synthesis examines the use of the human capabilities approach as an analytical framework for gender and education research. The approach’s emphasis on participant voice as a means of articulating what is valued in education highlights contradictions and similarities within a given community and attends to …

The Hidden Epidemic: Mental Health Epidemiology In Post-Conflict Populations And Implications For Conflict Transformation Practices, Jennifer Sato

Capstone Collection

This capstone explores the ramifications of unmitigated mental health illness in conflict populations, paying special attention to refugees and migrants. The intersection between conflict and mental health is explored and analyzed in order to highlight the implications of the findings and to make recommendations to both metal health and conflict transformation practitioners. This capstone depends predominately on secondary resources and personal interviews and is informed by my own practicum experience at a refugee health center. The need to improve mental health outcomes in order to pursue conflict transformation and peace building is a key focus and is supported by the …

A Review Of Critical Quality Inquiry: Foundations And Futures, Daniel Cade Allen

The Qualitative Report

In an age of growing concern over issues of social justice, Gaile S. Canella, Michelle Salazar Perez, and Penny A. Pasque offer a refreshing examination of the process and purpose of conducting Critical Qualitative inquiry. A series of essays from noted scholars examine the researcher paradigm in a novel paradigm: globalization and social justice. The reviewer examined the collection of essays as someone who has had little experience with this form of academic inquiry.

Finding A Place To Belong: The Role Of Social Inclusion In The Lives Of Homeless Men, Meaghan Bell, Christine A. Walsh

The Qualitative Report

This study explores the role of informal social support networks of male homeless shelter residents. Authors utilized ethnographic methods, relationality and reflexive research approaches and key informant interviews with 10 shelter residents to investigate perceptions of belonging in overcoming social exclusion and countering the stigmatization cast onto as a result of their condition of homelessness. Study findings challenge our normative conceptions of homelessness by discerning between “rooflessness” and “rootlessness” suggesting that homelessness is more than the absence of shelter, but rather denotes the absence of support and inclusion in one’s community. This research highlights a community within the shelter characterized …

Exploring The Professional Beliefs Of An Efl Teacher: A Narrative Inquiry, Seyyed Ali Ostovar-Namaghi, Shabnam Norouzi, Mobina Hosseini

The Qualitative Report

The applied science model of teacher education implies that the relationship between theory and practice is unidirectional. In this study, however, the researchers make a case in the opposite direction, i.e., they believe that professional practice can also shed some light on theories of language teaching. Since narrative inquiry is best for capturing the detailed stories or life experiences of a single life, the researchers took it as a legitimate mode of research to uncover and make sense of the professional experience of an experienced and professionally popular language teacher. Analysis revealed six themes, which reflect the participant’s professional beliefs. …

Perceptions And Perspectives: Testing For Associations Between Perceptions Of Inequality, Autonomy, Morality And Support For Redistribution Among Bsu Students, Lucas A. Fagundes

Honors Program Theses and Projects

Despite claims that we exist in an “Age of Acquiescence” (Fraser, 2015) to historically high levels of inequality, Americans across wage, gender, and political leaning all desire a more equal distribution of wealth (Norton & Ariely, 2011). However, this apparent consensus doesn’t necessarily translate into support for redistribution, at least in terms of greater taxation. Rather, according to recent findings by Northwestern University Professor Leslie McCall, Americans prefer instead to address wealth inequality through the expansion of opportunity (McCall, 2011). It may be that as individual perceptions of autonomy and the availability of opportunity increases, support for traditional redistribution decreases, …

Fearless Friday: Samantha Lee, Samantha R. Lee

SURGE

Samantha Lee ’16 is SURGE’s Fearless Friday leader for this week!

Sam is a Psychology Major with a minor in Religion. Her home is not too far from Gettysburg, just up the way on route 15 in Mechanicsburg. Her graduation is right around the corner, as she’s a senior graduating early in December. [excerpt]

Online Sexual Activity Experiences Among College Students: A Four-Country Comparison, Nicola Döring, Kristian Daneback, Krystelle Shaughnessy, Christian Grov, E. Sandra Byers

Publications and Research

The purpose of this study was to compare male and female college students in four countries (Canada, Germany, Sweden, and the U.S.) on their lifetime experiences (prevalence) and frequency of recent experiences with six types of online sexual activities (OSA): sexual information, sexual entertainment, sexual contacts, sexual minority communities, sexual products, and sex work. Participants (N = 2690; M age, 24.65 years; 53.4 % women, 46.6 % men) were recruited from a university in each of the countries to complete an online survey that included background and demographic questions, and questions about OSA. Most participants reported experience with accessing …

Campus Community Readiness To Engage Measure: Its Utility For Campus Violence Prevention Initiatives—Preliminary Psychometrics, Katie Edwards, Mary M. Moynihan, Kara Anne Rodenhizer-Stampfli, Jennifer M. Demers, Victoria Banyard

Peer-Reviewed and Other Publications

The researchers present preliminary psychometric information on a recently developed measure—the Campus Community Readiness to Engage Measure (CCREM)—which was developed as a tool for campuses to determine their readiness to address sexual assault (SA) and relationship abuse (RA). Participants were 353 community leaders and administrators at 131 colleges and universities across New England. Factor analytic results demonstrated that the CCREM had three factors for both SA and RA: denial (the campus community is unwilling to acknowledge that SA and RA are issues for the community), initiation (the campus community is beginning to create efforts to address SA and RA and …

"Pitiful Creature Of Darkness": The Subhuman And The Superhuman In The Phantom Of The Opera, Jessica Sternfeld

Music Faculty Books and Book Chapters

"This chapter focuses on The Phantom of the Opera, the megamusical that perhaps most boldly faces the idea of disability head-on, as it stars a character whose face, as one journalist described it, looks 'like melted cheese' (Smith, 1995). The musical's approach to the Phantom's disability is remarkably layered and inconsistent; the Phantom is portrayed in numerous ways (monster, criminal, genius, god, ghost) and his physical disability blurs regularly with his 'soul;' which is where numerous characters locate the origin of his problems. His face and its famous mask covering are both feared and thrilled over, but with a reassuring …

Breaking The Cycle Of Incarceration: Strategies For Successful Reentry Final Report For Labyrinth Outreach Services For Women, Carolyn Moe, Brian Titzler, Melissa Johnson-Gross, Darek Conley, Emily Blankenberger, Kirk Richardson, Bethan Owen, Caleb Griffen, Andrew Kuka, George Stanton, Lauren Troxtel, Eliud Uresti, John Thornburg, Nicholas Anthony Canfield, Patricia Longwood, Jessica Linder, Amanda Britenstein

Student Research – Stevenson Center

Working with a local reentry organization, Labyrinth Outreach Services to Women, the purpose of this study was to gather information about opportunities and barriers related to two aspects of their program: employment services and establishment of a microbusiness. Information was obtained through a 22-item questionnaire given to a sample of local businesses, key informant interviews, and secondary data analysis. Thirty-nine businesses in the Bloomington-Normal area responded to the questionnaire via on-line and paper survey methods, nine face-to-face interviews were conducted, along with three case studies of similar reentry microbusiness programs and a review of current literature. Stigmas of formerly incarcerated …

School Shootings And Moral Panics: Differences In Media Framing Based On Race, Class, And Socioeconomic Status, Kelly Ann Lavoie

Honors Program Theses and Projects

Media coverage of school shooting incidents are constructed using various frames that differ depending on the race, class, and socioeconomic status of the victims, perpetrators, and their communities. Moral panics have arisen as a result of these frames, having been constructed to instigate fear and affect policy in ways that can have negative effects on both students in general and, in particular, minority students in urban schools. In this study, I analyzed the framing language used in news content, the demographic information of the schools in which shootings occurred, and the amount of coverage afforded to the incidents. This content …

Generosity Creates Its Own Ripple Effect, Traci Evison

UCF Forum

Sometimes we see an inspirational snippet of film on YouTube, hear an NPR broadcast or listen to a Ted Talk that materializes into action at what seems to be a random point in the future.

From A Chat In The Parlor To Viral Music Videos: An Analysis Of Music As A Social Occasion, Emma Plotnik

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Imagine an intimate room filled with people playing cards and casually chatting, while one of Chopin’s piano sonatas plays elegantly in the background. This scenario is characteristic of the atmosphere surrounding Classical and Romantic European salons. Salons served as havens of musical discourse from the Baroque era to the early twentieth century. However, with the advancement of technology from the mid-twentieth century to the present, there has been a decline, or, arguably, even a cessation of salon life.

The aim of this project was to recreate the salon environment through the generation of the online discussion forum, "Music Soirée." To …

The Effects And Comparisons Of Receptive Live Music Listening And Expressive Music Making On Mood With Elderly Adults In A Congregate Residential Setting, Rory Kendall Bolton

Theses and Dissertations

It is important to consider mood and its effect on elderly persons as many older adults will experience symptoms of depression. In prior studies, research indicated that preferred music listening and expressive music making can positively change mood in older adults. The purpose of this research study was to investigate the differences between receptive music listening and expressive music making (presented as a facilitated group music therapy session) and their effect on participants’ mood. The researcher hypothesized that 1) there would be a significant difference for pre and posttest standardized mood assessment (PANAS) scores between the receptive music listening and …

2016, Camp Research Forum Book Of Abstracts, American Camp Association

ACA National Camp Research Forum Abstracts

This book includes 16 abstracts that will be presented at the 2016 American Camp Association (ACA) Research Forum to be held during the ACA annual conference in Atlanta, GA from February 9-12. Twelve of these abstracts have been grouped into logical areas and will be verbally presented in four sessions.

A Review Of Ronald J. Pelias’ Performance: An Alphabet Of Performative Writing, Matilda Mettälä

The Qualitative Report

This book explores performance in everyday life through performative writing. It offers us an opportunity to examine how people act and react in society based on a constructivist view, which acknowledges multiple realities and truths. The book has several potential audiences as it can serve as a methods book for those who seek to study and write about performative writing as well as to all those who seek to understand human experiences from a different and non-traditional view.

Holding Death At Bay Vs. Prolonging Life: Indexing Fatalism And Optimism In The Ideology Of Health, Genetics, And Family History In The U. S. And South Korean Media, Soo Jung Hong, Susan Strauss

The Qualitative Report

Media discourse creates and shapes views of personhood, of possibilities, of wellness, and at the same time, these views and beliefs, in their turn, shape media discourse. Broadcasts of health-related edutainment programs and advertisements are rich sources for the discovery of stances concerning health and illness. We examine media discourse in the United States and South Korea, and uncover consistent indexical patterns pointing to overall ideologies of fatalism in the U.S. and optimism in South Korea. Specifically, from an indexicality-based perspective, we identify the patterned ways in which the ideologies of fatalism and optimism are indexed with regard to agency …

Applying A Socio-Ecological Framework To Thematic Analysis Using A Statewide Assessment Of Disproportionate Minority Contact In The United States, Dawn X. Henderson, Tiffany Baffour

The Qualitative Report

Disproportionate minority contact (DMC) in the United States represents a critical social challenge to promoting the ideals and values of social justice. The ecological nature of DMC, a phenomenon emerging from the intersection of micro- and macro-level factors, necessitates the application of systems theories in understanding the issue and designing solutions to address it. This article illustrates the application of socio-ecological systems theory in thematic analysis, drawing associations across multiple systems between contributing factors to DMC in the juvenile justice system in North Carolina, USA. Analysis examined data from 6 focus groups comprised of 55 statewide stakeholders involved in the …

Fearless Friday: Chentese Stewart-Gartner, Christina L. Bassler

SURGE

This week, SURGE is proud to showcase the wonderful work of Chentese Stewart-Garner!

Chentese is a sociology major with a minor in education. She’s a sophomore and originally hails from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Currently, Chentese is the program coordinator for the Black Student Union, serves as the public relations liaison for the African Student Association, is a Diversity Peer Educator on campus, and works hard as a Career Outreach Assistant for the Center for Career Development. [excerpt]

There Goes The Neighborhood: The Effects Of Residency Restrictions On Sex Offenders And The Community, Linde Christine Rush Burkey

Theses and Dissertations

Sex offender laws and regulations were enacted with the goal of preventing and reducing sex crimes, however, some scholars have argued sex offender laws may actually contribute to an increase in recidivism as a result of a number of unintended consequences. While there have been numerous studies examining the unintended consequences associated with residency restrictions, no research to date has examined the location of sex offender clusters and how these clusters affect the community and sex crimes within their geographical vicinities. While some researchers have established that the clustering of registered sex offenders occurs in certain geographical areas, further analysis …