Sociology Commons^™

African American Mothers' Narratives Of Breastfeeding Support From Healthcare Providers, Tessa Treadwell

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Research indicates that African American women breastfeed at the lowest rates of any racial/ethnic group in the U.S. Breastfeeding has shown to have numerous health benefits for both mother and baby, making the lower rates of breastfeeding among African Americans a public health concern. Racial disparities in healthcare may contribute to these discrepancies. This research will analyze the perceptions of information and social support for breastfeeding provided by healthcare providers among a sample of African American mothers who breastfed their babies. The study asks: Do participants regard their healthcare providers as supportive of breastfeeding? Data were collected through in-depth qualitative …

Lessons From The Field: Kinship As An Intervention (Library Resources), Holy Cross Libraries

Library Resources for Campus Events

A bibliography of resources available through the Holy Cross Libraries which provide additional information related to “Lessons from the Field: Kinship as an Intervention,” a lecture by Rev. Gregory Boyle, S.J., founder and executive director of Homeboy Industries, held at the College of the Holy Cross on February 6, 2017.

Homeboy Industries is the largest gang intervention, rehabilitation and re-entry program in the world

Grief, Loss, And Separation: Experiences Of Birth Children Of Foster Carers, David Williams

Articles

Previous research identifies the increased exposure of birth children of foster carers to experiences of separation, grief, and loss due to the transient nature of foster care, but little is known about how birth children manage this loss. This paper reports findings from a qualitative study that examined the retrospective experiences of 15 adult birth children of foster carers (aged between 18 and 28 years) in Ireland. Findings suggest that birth children experience grief and loss when foster children leave their families. They report experiencing a range of emotional responses such as guilt, blame, and sadness. A reluctance to discuss …

Working With Latinos In Rural Communities: “Nuts And Bolts”, Wilma Cordova, Aparecida De Fatima Cordeiro Dutra

Faculty Publications

Latinos currently compromise 16% of the entire U.S. population and 9.3% live in rural areas ((U.S. Census, 2010). These current percentages indicate that most social workers will work with this population at least once during their careers. Therefore, it is important that social workers develop skills and knowledge to work effectively with Latinos. Working with Latinos in our current sociopolitical climate poses many challenges for social workers working in rural areas. However, if social workers adhere to the guidelines and standards initially established by the profession and implement best practices many of their efforts will be successful. This chapter aims …

Addressing Islamophobia In Greene County, Virginia, Kayla Barker

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

This paper provides a summary of a day-long seminar organized in a rural community following another local seminar endorsed by the community’s Sheriff concerning the “Muslim Threat.” The Sheriff’s event was held just days before the 2016 U.S. presidential election. During the campaign and in the aftermath of the election, many politicians employed anti-Muslim rhetoric. This seemed to bring to the surface many Islamophobic opinions of elected officials and their electorates which were grounded in fear and misinformation.

A report published by the Pew Research Center states, “Older Americans and those with relatively low levels of educational attainment…tend to be …

American Dreamers, Katie Iwanowicz

Common Reading Essay Contest Winners

Third Place

Consumers' Perceptions Of Voluntary And Involuntary Deconsumption: An Exploratory Sequential Scale Development Study, Kranti K. Dugar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This exploratory sequential mixed methods study of scale development was conducted among baby boomers in the United States to render conceptual clarity to the concepts of voluntary and involuntary deconsumption, to explore deconsumption behavior under the tenets of the attribution theory of motivation, and to examine the components, structures, uses, and measurement properties of scales of voluntary and involuntary deconsumption. It was also an attempt to reiterate the importance of the baby boomer segment(s) for marketing practitioners based on growth, economic viability, and the power of influence, and to establish a deep understanding of the deconsumption processes, which could enable …

Honor, Shame, And Redemption: Explicating The American Evangelical Right's Moral Worldview Regarding Same-Sex Marriage And Abortion, Jeffrey B. Satterwhite

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

With the rise of the New Religious Right in American politics, same-sex marriage and abortion emerged as the seminal political issues in a burgeoning culture wars narrative. While previous literature in the sociology of religion and political science fields has examined conservative evangelical political mobilization around these issues, this literature has not adequately considered the primacy of theology in determining these critical political commitments of the evangelical right. This dissertation utilizes aspects of James Wellman's concept of moral worldview, Ann Swidler's ideas on the cultural toolkit, and Christian Smith's subcultural identity theory to explore the formation of conservative …

Deconstructing Hypermasculinity: Combatting The War On Black Men, Aliyah Abu-Hazeem

Honors Papers

This research project aims to interrogate the rationale behind Black men’s disproportionate engagement in crime and violent behaviors. To do this, I aim to debunk hypermasculinity as the media and Police’s predominate rationale for Black men’s participation in violence and crime. Although narratives of hypermasculinity have become more insidious across time and space since the slavery era, they still contribute to the pervasive perception of Black men as savage hoodlums who are undeserving of success outcomes. The concept of hypermasculinity asserts that Black men have a biological, innate disposition to incite harm. To deracialize and demystify current stigmas of hypermasculinity …

The Puerto Rican Education Pipeline: New York City, New York State, And The United States, Luis O. Reyes

CUNY Centro, The Center for Puerto Rican Studies

Over the past 14 years, educational attainment among Puerto Ricans in the United States has been slowly improving. In 2000, 63 percent of Puerto Ricans 25 years of age and older had a high school degree or higher versus 75 percent in 2014 (U.S. Census Bureau 2014). Similarly, only 12.5 percent of Puerto Ricans had a bachelor’s degree or higher in 2000 versus 16 percent in 2014 (U.S. Census Bureau 2014). Even though educational attainment has been steadily increasing, the disparity between educational attainment among Puerto Ricans versus non-Hispanic whites and other Hispanic subpopulations has remained constant.

School, Work And The Transition Of Puerto Rican Youth To Adulthood, Edwin Melendez

CUNY Centro, The Center for Puerto Rican Studies

The purpose of this study is to present a statistical profile of Puerto Rican youth ages 16 to 24 not at school or work, commonly referred to as “disconnected youth” in the academic literature and popular media. Nationally, research on disconnected youth tends to paint a profile of a population that is largely African American, male, and low-income. However, as other research has shown, and as our analysis confirms, Latinos and particularly Puerto Ricans have as high an incidence of not being at work or school as African Americans, and for Puerto Ricans these rates are higher than for other …

Evaluation Of The Pepfar/Usaid Asibonisane Community Responses Program In Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa, Project Soar

HIV and AIDS

Few programs intended to improve HIV outcomes or modulate gender norms have been rigorously evaluated in South Africa’s informal settlements where nearly 400,000 people live in KwaZulu Natal province alone. There is limited evidence on how to implement large-scale HIV-prevention programming in these contexts. Project SOAR and partners are addressing these knowledge gaps by conducting an evaluation of the PEPFAR/USAID-funded Asibonisane Community Responses Program in South Africa. Specifically, the study will assess the effectiveness of this community-based HIV-prevention program in informal settlements throughout KwaZulu-Natal—one of four provinces where the program is being carried out. This study aims to influence the …

Ua19/16/1 2017-18 Wku Track & Field Cross Country Record Book, Wku Athletic Media Relations

WKU Administration Documents

WKU track and field media guide for 2017-18 season.

Equine Assisted Learning With Special Populations, Hanna R. Baus

Projects

This paper explores the use of equine-assisted learning (EAL) activities with special populations and includes a program evaluation for two equine-assisted learning programs developed and conducted by HeartStrides, a non-profit organization in the Pacific Northwest. The study included two populations (N=18); the at-risk youth program included seven participants and the veterans’ clinic included eleven participants. For the purpose of this study, the participating youth are considered “at-risk” due to their risk factors that include socioeconomic status, exposure to stressful and traumatic events (physical, sexual, and/or psychological abuse), neglect, dysfunctional parenting, substance abuse in the home, self-harming tendencies and/or suicidal thoughts …

Reintegration In A Rural Community: Strengths, Barriers, And Recommendations For Reentry In Humboldt County, Vanessa E. Vrtiak

Projects

There is a current lack of reintegration services in rural Humboldt County, California. In an effort to understand the services available, and develop recommendations for future reentry services, I conducted focus groups and interviews with the currently incarcerated, service providers, and the formerly incarcerated. Some of the formerly incarcerated participants live in Humboldt County currently, and some have moved to other communities in the state of California. This research was conducted using a convenience sample, and snow ball sampling methods. The initial goal of this research was to promote communication between both community based service providers and those involved in …

Latina/O Vernacular Discourse: Theorizing Performative Dimensions Of An Other Counterpolitic, Bernadette Marie Calafell, Dawn Marie D. Mcintosh

Critical Race and Ethnic Studies Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Posttraumatic Growth As It Relates To Family Environment, Brian Keller

Online Theses and Dissertations

The current study sought to explore the relationship between one's family environment and reported posttraumatic growth. Participants were 197 EKU undergraduate intro to psychology students. They voluntarily took an online survey for course credit. Types and frequency of trauma was recorded using the Life Events Checklist. The Posttraumatic Growth Index was used to measure posttraumatic growth, the Family environment scale was used to assess qualities of family life, and the Big Five Inventory was used to control for personality traits. Results did not support the hypothesis, however, significant correlations with the Moral Religious subscale of the FES as well as …

When Depression Is In The Job Description #Realacademicbios, Bernadette Marie Calafell

Critical Race and Ethnic Studies Faculty Scholarship

Inspired by H. L. Goodall Jr.'s and Barabara J. Jago's respective essays on academic culture and depression, this piece utilizes performative writing to flesh out the popular hashtag #realacademicbios. Drawing on my experiences as a queer faculty of color in the neoliberal academy going through racial battle fatigue, microaggressions, anti-feminist/anti-intersectional critiques, and imposter syndrome, I seek to affectively create a state of depression on the page.

Ua19/16/1 2017 Media Guide, Wku Athletic Media Relations

WKU Administration Documents

Athletic media guide for volleyball team.

No. 78: Comparing Refugees And South Africans In The Urban Informal Sector, Jonathan Crush, Godfrey Tawodzera, Cameron Mccordic, Sujata Ramachandran

Southern African Migration Programme

This report compares the business operations of over 2,000 South Africans and refugees in the urban informal economy and systematically dispels some of the myths that have grown up around their activities. First, the report takes issue with the perception that South Africans are inexperienced and unmotivated participants in the informal economy. Many have years of experience and have successfully grown their businesses. Second, it contests the view that refugees enjoy a competitive advantage because they come to South Africa with inherent talent and already honed skills. On the contrary, over 80% of those surveyed had no prior informal sector …

"Sending Our Petitions To God": Nigerian Immigrant Healthcare Worker Settlement, Gender And The Role Of Religious Networks, Sheri Adekola, Margaret Walton-Roberts

Global Nurse Migration Pathways: A Comparative Project

This paper provides a brief overview of a study aimed at understanding the lived experiences of health care migrants from Nigeria now living in Canada and their individual perceptions regarding their migration experience. We report here on an interesting finding of the research that highlights how Nigerian women migrants cope with the isolating effects of migration of resettlement through a profound attachment to spirituality and religious community networks.

Private Sector Costing Of Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision In South Africa, Michel Tchuenche, Steven Forsythe

HIV and AIDS

In 2010, after voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) had been shown to be one of the most cost-effective strategies for preventing HIV infections, South Africa initiated a VMMC program with an ambitious target of performing 4.3 million circumcisions by 2016. However, because of a gap in knowledge concerning the overall cost of scaling up services, the South African National Department of Health requested that Project SOAR—Supporting Operational AIDS Research—conduct a private-sector costing of providing VMMC services in South Africa. The findings presented in this report provide a detailed investigation, through a comprehensive bottom-up approach, of the costs to private providers …

Editorial, Jane L. Ireland, Robert J. Cramer

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

We commence this edition with an invited paper by David DeMatteo, Suraji Wagage, and Jaymes Fairfax-Columbo on cyberstalking. Their paper considers the role of law and public opinion in this rapidly evolving area of study. One of the most interesting findings represents the difference between public opinion and the legal concept of cyberstalking; public opinion does not support the (legal) suggestion that cyberstalking should be considered alongside more general stalking. This reflects a move in the literature more generally that considers cybercrime distinct in many ways from contact offending. Indeed, it parallels considerably with the cyberbullying literature, which some would …

The Effects Of Rape Myth Acceptance, Benevolent Sexism, Characterological Self-Blame, And Behavioral Self-Blame On Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptom Severity, Jacob Whitaker Camp

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Roughly 35 to 50 percent of victims of sexual assault begin to suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) relatively early after the assault (Elklit, Due, & Christiansen, 2009). Many victims of sexual assault who are diagnosed with PTSD continue to experience symptoms long after the incident occurred (Peter-Hagene & Ullman, 2015). Rape has serious effects on the psychological health of the victims. Although no study had been done directly examining the relationship between rape myth acceptance and PTSD symptom severity, studies have shown that benevolent sexism affects rape myth acceptance and that rape myth acceptance affects how individuals attribute blame …

Exploring Men’S Motivations For Studying, And Not Studying, Abroad, Shane Miller

Academic Affairs Publications

A long-standing trend in collegiate study abroad experiences has been the continual underrepresentation of key student demographics. One of the most persistent of these disparities has been the lack of men studying abroad. Between the 1996 and 2007 academic years, men’s participation rate in study abroad experiences consistently hovered at 35%. Female students, in other words, participated in study abroad at a rate nearly twice that of their male peers.

This research project was designed around two hypotheses – that ethnocentrism influenced men’s decisions to study abroad; and that racial or ethnic prejudice influenced men’s decisions to study abroad. In …

The Negotiation Of Racial, Ethnic, And Religious Identification In American Heathenry, Thad Nathan Horrell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is an investigation of religious, ethnic, and racial identification in the social "field" of Heathenry. Heathenry is a reconstructionist religious movement attempting to reconnect with or revive the pre-Christian traditions of the Germanic tribes of northern Europe. Often articulated as an "ethnic religion," Heathenry has also been frequently tied to white supremacist violence and hate crimes. Applying Anthony Wallace's model of revitalization movements, I attempt to make sense of what it is contemporary Heathens are trying to accomplish in today's society: What is it Heathens are trying to revitalize?

As a field of contestation over common-sense meanings …

Using Community-Based Research To Improve Bsw Students’ Learning In Community Practice: Bringing The Macro Into Focus For Traditional And Distance Learners, Jessica Lee Lucero, Jen Evers, Jennifer Roark

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

This article describes community–university partnership building, course development/management, and evaluation outcomes related to an intensive community-based research project that was integrated in two sections of an undergraduate course on community practice. Pre- and posttest data were collected from 60 BSW students who were enrolled in community practice and who participated in a community-based research project with their state’s fair housing office. The evaluation outcomes focus on changes in professional interest in macro practice, students’ self-efficacy, and differences in students’ learning experiences, based on traditional bricks-and-mortar or distance learning contexts. Results show that students experience increases in self-efficacy related to community …

Ua19/16/1/1 2017 Baseball Media Guide, Wku Athletic Media Relations

WKU Administration Documents

2017 baseball media guide produced by WKU Athletic Media Relations, includes athletic records and statistics, photographs, schedule and information regarding opponents.

Crossing America’S Borders: Chinese Immigrants In The Southwesterns Of The 1920s And 1930s, Philippa Gates

English and Film Studies Faculty Publications

Today, when we think of the film Western, we think of a genre dominated by Anglo-American heroes conquering the various struggles and obstacles that the nineteenth-century frontier presented to settlers and gunslingers alike—from the daunting terrain and inclement environment of deserts, mountains, and plains to the violent opposition posed by cattle ranchers and Native Americans. What we tend to forget, most likely because the most famous Westerns of the last seventy-five years also forgot, is that Chinese immigrants played an important role in that frontier history. As Edward Buscombe confirms, “[g]iven the importance of their contribution, particularly to the construction …

Impact Of Food Insecurity And Snap Participation On Healthcare Utilization And Expenditures, Seth A. Berkowitz, Hilary K. Seligman, Sanjay Basu

University of Kentucky Center for Poverty Research Discussion Paper Series

We tested three hypothesis related to food insecurity and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), America’s largest anti-food insecurity program. We hypothesized that 1)food insecurity would be associated with increased healthcare expenditures, 2)food insecurity would be associated with increased use of emergency department and inpatient services, and 3) SNAP participation would be associated with lower subsequent healthcare expenditures. We used data from the 2011 National Health Interview Survey linked to the 2012-13 Medical Expenditures Panel Survey. We used zero-inflated negative binomial regression to test the relationship between food insecurity and healthcare cost and use. We evaluated the association between SNAP …