Sociology Commons^™

The Potential Of Humor To Joyously Dismantle Ableism+: Considerations For Social Workers, Mia Ocean

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Social workers are often well-positioned but not adequately equipped to disrupt, unsettle, or counteract ableism. Humor is one approach to disability justice work that can move the social work profession forward in a novel way. Within this practice brief, I use first-person narrative to illustrate the potential and limitations of humor to dismantle ableism+ in everyday interactions between social workers, clinical social work practice, and policy transformation. First, I share an example of how to use humor as a direct, call-in strategy to confront social worker-initiated ableist interactions. Second, I describe how a mixed disabled/abled couple can laugh together at …

Mandatory Supporting As A Radical Ethic Of Care: Supporting, Not Reporting, Black Disabled Mothers, Siobhan M. Pokorney

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Racism and ableism are intricately linked in the United States. Since the antebellum period, disability has been weaponized against the Black population. As the overriding punitive institution of white supremacy has shifted from slavery to mass incarceration with time, the experiences of Black disabled people within this institution have changed little. Black disabled individuals are at greater risk of harm at every step of the criminal legal system. Furthermore, the prison system exacerbates and creates debilitation and disability for those who are incarcerated. The family regulation system is the adjacent punitive system to mass incarceration, disproportionately impacting Black disabled women …

The Challenges And Rewards Of Carrying Out Qualitative Research On The Police In The African American Community, Daniel K. Pryce, Ingrid Phillips Witaker

Sociology & Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

In this paper, we discuss the challenges and rewards of carrying out qualitative research on the police in the African American1 community. Using data drawn from interviews with seventy-seven African American adults in Durham, NC, we found that community member hostility toward research(ers) and fear of both neighbors and the police lowered African Americans’ willingness to be interviewed about their perceptions of and experiences with U.S. police. These findings were observed primarily in public housing and middle-income communities. On a positive note, we found that greater awareness of policing issues increased African Americans’ willingness to participate in research about the …

Teaching Dobbs To Disrupt U.S. Hegemony And Build Feminist Solidarities, Derek P. Siegel

Sociology & Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

The Dobbs decision has created both opportunities and challenges in the classroom. On one hand, Dobbs animated student interest, increasing awareness of reproduction. On the other hand, media coverage of Dobbs primed students—particularly those who had not been exposed to reproductive justice—to think about abortion access in isolation from other topics and from an exclusively U.S. perspective. In this article, I discuss my experience teaching Politics of Reproduction in Fall 2022. Among other goals, I wanted to expose students to La Marea Verde, or the “Green Wave,” of countries expanding abortion access in Latin America. By teaching Latin American abortion …

Participatory Video As A Capacity-Building Tool On Disaster Risk Reduction Management: The Case Of A Philippine Rurban Youth Group In Bay, Laguna, Trina Leah T. Mendoza, Benjamina Paula G. Flor

Journal of Public Affairs and Development

This study aimed to explore a youth-led participatory video (PV) process as a strategy for building the capacity of youth in disaster risk reduction management (DRRM) in a Philippine urban community. The study’s main research problem is: What constitutes a youth-led PV process? Specifically, it aimed to 1) describe a youth-led PV production process, 2) identify emergent characteristics of a youth-led PV process, and 3) examine features that explain how a PV process capacitates youth in DRRM. A series of DRRM and PV training workshops were conducted from January to March 2019 with a selected group of youth in Barangay …

Reporting And Addressing Sexual Harassment At Four Institutions Of Higher Learning In Zambia: A Quantitative Study Of Related Attitudes And Perceptions, Earlymay Chibende

Dissertations

Problem

Sexual harassment is a social ill that exists across nations, socio-economic backgrounds, races, nationality, ethnicity, age groups, and sex. Although both male and female members of society experience sexual harassment, research shows that a greater percentage of sexual harassment victims are women (Whitley & Page, 2015; CharterJee, 2018). A comparison of the prevalence of sexual harassment at workplaces and educational institutions shows that sexual harassment is more widespread at institutions of learning than at workplaces. Research on the prevalence of attitudes and or perceptions toward sexual harassment in institutions of higher learning shows that between 10%- 68% of female …

Marginalized Sexual- And Gender-Identified Clients In University Counseling Centers: Best Psychotherapy Practices, Sara M. Cauley

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Young adults in college experience significant rates of mental health difficulties. The mental wellness of young adults has shown to have a substantial link to future success, health, and well-being. Individuals with marginalized sexual and gender identities (SGM) often hold additional mental health difficulties due to having identities that typically defy societyʼs assumptions and expectations, and these assumptions/expectations are presented to youth from a young age. The distress experienced by SGM individuals can often be relational in nature due to living in and relating to a heteronormative, cisgender society that stigmatizes and oppresses SGM individuals. University Counseling Centers (UCC) typically …

Chieftaincy In A Lappa: Portraiture Leadership Of Black Women, Lynne E, Washington

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The dissertation examined African American women with chieftaincy titles in Yoruba culture and how they exercised their leadership in both Yorubaland and America. It explored their leadership, authority, and training. The presence of African American women with chieftaincy titles is increasing in the American landscape. The methodology was qualitative using narrative inquiry and portraiture from Sarah Lawrence-Lightfoot and Jessica Hoffman Davis (1997) with five African American women. My research included observations in Nigerian, pre-Osun festival, the Osun festival, and post-Osun festival. Observations also included three women Nigerian Chiefs. The research questions answered their qualifications to lead, their sense of knowing …

The Influence Of Highly Visual Social Media Engagement On The Body Image Of Cisgender Heterosexual Emerging Adult Men. A Grounded Theory Approach, Isaac Cheng

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The effects of highly visual social media (HVSM) on the body image of users is a widespread concern amongst consumers and popular topic of research. While numerous studies have explored the effects of HVSM on women's body image, the literature on men's body image, particularly among cisgender heterosexual men, is comparatively sparse. The present study utilized constructivist grounded theory methodology to develop an explanatory model illustrating how HVSM engagement by cisgender heterosexual emerging adult men influences their body image. Data analysis revealed how specific HVSM platform attributes, a user’s behavior on an HVSM platform, a user’s perception of an ideal …

Feminized Servanthood, Gendered Scapegoating, And The Disappearance Of Gen-X/Millennial Protestant Clergy Women, Lynn Horan

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

In today’s mainline Protestant churches, young women clergy navigate a precarious leadership space. While women’s ordination is well-established in American Protestantism (Burnett, 2017), Gen-X/Millennial clergy women find themselves at the crosshairs of conflicting gender narratives and unsustainable expectations of what it means to be both a woman and an ordained pastoral leader. Through the use of feminist constructivist grounded theory methodology, this study explored the lived experiences of Gen-X/Millennial clergy women who have left active ministry or a specific pastoral position due to concerns over their own interpersonal boundaries and psychological safety. Through dimensional analysis of in-depth interviews with 20 …

Factors That Contribute To Perceptions Of Police-Civilian Interactions, Shelby Wynne

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Perceptions of police-civilian interactions have been found to be impacted by the perspective in which they are viewed, with first-person perspectives eliciting negative perceptions of civilians and positive perceptions of police. However, the nature of the relationship between race and camera-perspective has not been fully explored. Black people are more likely to harmed by police at a disproportionate rate compared to White people, and consequently, have more negative perceptions of police. Three studies investigated what factors informed perceptions of police encounters, particularly when camera perspectives differed. Results showed partial support for my prediction that Black people are as not susceptible …

Women And Peace Theory And Civil Conflict Intensity, Byung-Deuk Woo, Hoshik Nam

Research, Publications & Creative Work

Do improved women’s descriptive representation in legislative branches and women’s participation in civil society decrease the intensity of civil conflicts? Is the impact of women’s presence in legislative branches on the conflict intensity magnified by women’s participation in civil society, and vice versa? In this study, we aim to expand the constructivist argument that equal gender roles in politics and civil society can bring about less intensive internal armed conflicts. Relying on time-series cross-national data on 151 countries from 1960 to 2016, we demonstrate that the increases in women’s descriptive representation in parliaments and women’s participation in civil society tend …

Australian Pre-Service Teachers’ Beliefs About Educational Disadvantage And Socially Just Teaching: Beyond A Neoliberal Imaginary?, Claire E. Charles, Lynette Longaretti, Matthew K.E Thomas

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Neoliberal education reforms have altered the way social justice is imagined in relation to schooling. These reforms reframe social justice as ‘equity’ through conceptions of standards, evidence and teacher quality, while detracting attention from the moral and political dispositions required for socially-just teaching. Knowing more about how this context may be shaping the beliefs of pre-service teachers (PSTs) is important. This paper reports on beliefs about educational disadvantage of a group of PSTs about to embark on a specialised program in Australia designed to promote socially just schooling outcomes. 24 PSTs across two cohorts completed a survey prior to entering …

Women's Role In Sustainable Development Project In Rural Indonesia: A Case Study Of Access Project, United Nations Development Programme, Elizabeth Gabriela

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This research focuses on the role of women participants in sustainable development projects in rural Indonesia, analyzing intricacies through Ecofeminism and intersectionality. More specifically, it examines the ACCESS Project implemented by UNDP in four provinces, aiming to address women’s engagement in the energy sector. ACCESS is a case study exploring empowerment within an institutionally gendered landscape—bounded by state quotas—for employment. Employing qualitative methods such as document analysis and semi-structured interviews with eight participants, the study draws from Ecofeminism and intersectionality to understand its central arguments. The findings depict progress toward gender inclusion in technical management for leadership roles, allowing women …

Public Authority And Legitimacy In Land And Forest Resources Governance In The Salween Peace Park, Saw Zaw Win Htoo

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This thesis examines the governance of land and forest resources in the Salween Peace Park (SPP), located in Kawthoolei (Karen State), Burma. The thesis specifically focuses on a village, referred to as P’ Saw Lu village, by conceptualizing “public authority.” It explores the production of public authority and legitimacy from the two coexisting governing systems within the SPP: the Karen National Union (KNU) as a state-like actor and the customary Kaw. The data analysis of this thesis is based on data collected in P’ Saw Lu village through four in-depth interviews with key informants, six individual interviews with villagers, two …

An Intersectional Analysis Of Findings From Humboldt County: The California Cannabis Worker And Equity Survey, Jennifer A. Smith

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This study explores how intersectional axes of identity, particularly gender and race, shape the experiences of precarity and resistance among cannabis workers in Humboldt County amid the industry's ongoing transition to legalization. Drawing on survey data from a diverse sample of 58 cannabis workers, the analysis revealed complex dimensions of precarity, including structural, physical, socioemotional, and material issues. Findings indicate that BIPOC workers, particularly men, face heightened structural precarity compared to their white counterparts, while the intersection of race and gender exacerbated vulnerabilities for BIPOC women and beyond binary individuals. Despite these challenges, workers demonstrated resilience and advocacy, emphasizing their …

The Role Of Familial Support And Gender In Asian American Students’ Stem Career Development: A Test Of Social Cognitive Career Theory, Xiao Ting Wang

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

This study, based on Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT; Lent et al., 1994, 2000), investigated the role of familial support in the STEM career development of Asian American college students. Participants included 446 first-year undergraduate students who identified as Asian or Asian American and had not declared an academic major. Due to multicollinearity, four initial familial support variables—instrumental assistance, career-related modeling, verbal encouragement, and emotional support—were regrouped into two: performance motivation (instrumental assistance and verbal encouragement) and career mentoring (career-related modeling and emotional support). Structural equation modeling showed acceptable fit for a modified model, and the results partially supported the …

Everyone’S A Critic: Processes Of Legitimation In The Video Essay Genre On Youtube, Kendall Nagi

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

The rise of video essays as a popular genre on YouTube is a notable development in the media criticism and intellectual work in online spaces. Theorization on criticism as intellectual work and the performance of expertise and credibility is well developed within sociology (Alexander 2004; Jacobs & Townsley 2017) but esearch on YouTube specifically is quite limited within the social sciences. Most existing research on the video essay genre comes from media studies and communications scholarship (McWhirter 2022; Smarandache 2021; Sylvia & Moody 2022). This study seeks to understand how creators working in the video essay genre, and more specifically, …

Community-Centric Approaches To Coastal Hazard Assessment And Management In Southside Norfolk, Virginia, Usa, Dalya Ismael, Nicole Hutton, Mujde Erten-Unal, Carol Considine, Tancy Vandecar-Burdin, Christopher Davis, Yin-Hsuen Chen

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

Urban communities in environmentally sensitive areas face escalating challenges due to climate change and inadequate infrastructural support, particularly in underserved regions like southside Norfolk, Virginia. This area, characterized by its vulnerability to flooding and a predominantly low-income population, lacks equitable inclusion in broader urban flood protection plans. This research focuses on the development of community-centered resilience strategies through active engagement and collaboration with local residents. The methodology centered around building trust and understanding within the community through a series of interactions and events. This approach facilitated a two-way exchange of information, enabling the research team to gather crucial insights on …

The Impacts Of Identity On Perceptions Of Safety On A Predominately White Campus, Rebecca Delrosso

Honors Theses

This quantitative study examines the relationship between students’ marginalized identities of race, gender, and sexuality and their perceptions of safety at a predominantly white institution (PWI). Survey data collected from undergraduates at a small liberal arts university reveal associations between minority identities and feelings of discomfort, insecurity, discrimination, and vulnerability on campus. The findings highlight the need for PWIs to prioritize secure and inclusive environments through policies, practices, and support systems.

Family Structure, Family Transitions, And Child Overweight And Obesity: Comparing Australia, The United Kingdom, And The United States, Sadie A. Slighting, Kirsten Rasmussen, Mikaela J. Dufur, Jonathan A. Jarvis, Shana Pribesh, Alyssa J. Alexander, Carolina Otero

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Growing rates of childhood obesity globally create concern for individuals' health outcomes and demands on health systems. While many policy approaches focus on macro-level interventions, we examine how the type of stability of a family structure might provide opportunities for policy interventions at the micro level. We examine the association between family structure trajectories and childhood overweight and obesity across three Anglophone countries using an expanded set of eight family structure categories that capture biological relationships and instability, along with potential explanatory variables that might vary across family trajectories and provide opportunities for intervention, including access to resources, family stressors, …

Let Your Head Hang Down: A Narrative Examination Of Cultic & Conspiratorial Romance, Kyle Macy

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

A response to recent cultural trends of radicalization, extremism, and violence in American society, this dissertation, a novel rendered in ephemeral fragments of oral histories, interrogates the romanticist postures that compel a community of musical artists, the so-called “Folk Revival Revival,” toward infamy and tragedy. Where more traditional sociological approaches to cultic formations stress the importance of centralized charismatic authority, and more traditional psychological approaches rely upon a conspiratorial Cold War ethos of cognitive bias and coercive control (i.e. “brainwashing”), this project meets such assumptions with incredulity, asserting instead that cultic and conspiratorial entrancement awakens first from within, and may …

Nebraska Snapshot #24-001: Is Nebraska Heading In The Right Direction?, Bureau Of Sociological Research

Nebraska Annual Social Indicators Survey (NASIS)

No abstract provided.

Unjust And Unsafe: The Eviction Experiences Of Latine Immigrant And Farmworker Tenants In Oregon, Natalie J. Cholula, Lisa K. Bates, Alex Farrington, Marisa Zapata, Jacen Greene, Azad Amir-Ghassemi, Colleen Carroll

Sociology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Latine immigrant households often face housing instability due to language barriers, immigration status, and limited access to government resources. Oregon farmworkers experience additional obstacles to safe and stable housing caused by low wages, a lack of affordable housing options, and social isolation. In light of the identified needs and lack of equitable access to resources that this group experiences, the Evicted in Oregon research team conducted focus groups with Latine immigrant and farmworker tenants in Multnomah, Washington, and Marion Counties. The aim was to gain insight into their experiences with eviction and understand how they navigated through evictions during the …

Postsurgical Pyoderma Gangrenosum After Penile Inversion Vaginoplasty: Case With Review Of Diagnostic And Management Strategies, Michael M Talanker, Jessica R Nye, David T Mitchell, Daniel J Freet

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Postsurgical pyoderma gangrenosum (PSPG) is a highly uncommon and unpredictable wound healing complication. Rapid progression of ulcers at incisions can cause unfettered dehiscence. Most commonly, PSPG involves breast procedures; however, in this work, we detail a case of a patient who developed PSPG 10 days postoperatively after penile inversion vaginoplasty.

METHODS: The patient in this case underwent a penile inversion vaginoplasty with orchiectomy in the standard fashion. She had no risk factors for PSPG. Following an uncomplicated hospital stay, the patient developed difficulty with pain control and increasing serous drainage on the 10th postoperative day. On readmission, the patient …

Developing More Equitable And Critically Conscious Organizations: Testimonios And Critical Platicas With Black And Latino/X Lgbtq+ Male Chrd Leaders, Mario Burton

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This dissertation connects the recent DEIB movement within organizations to larger social justice movements, specifically those that impact workers and the workplace. Critical human resource development (CHRD) professionals, who serve as “insider activists”, are highlighted due to their work to continue movement objectives within organizations. Through testimonios and critical platicas, this study explores how Black and Latino/x LGBTQ+ CHRD professionals, in particular, are experiencing the workplace, especially as it relates to their engagement with how DEIB is practiced within organizations. Through this study, these professionals provide insights into the ways that workplaces can be redesigned and reimagined to be …

Male Collegiate Student-Athletes Masculinity And Attitudes Toward Mental Health Seeking, Jennifer L. Mayette

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The mental health and well-being of college student-athletes has recently come to the attention of the general public with the increase in current and past athletes speaking out about the stressors they faced during their collegiate careers. With this increase in attention, higher education institutions and larger athletic associations have turned towards research to identify factors that are contributing to the struggles of student-athletes. One factor that has consistently been identified as a barrier for athletes seeking help for mental health concerns is stigma. For male student-athletes in particular, perception of the stigma associated with receiving psychological help due to …

An Internal And External Contextual Autoethnography Of A Single Mother's Experience As It Intersects With Misogyny, Patriarchy, And Hegemonic Masculinity, Heidi Sampson

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This dissertation is a contextual autoethnography of my lived experience with stigmatization, stereotypes, and institutional obstructions as a divorced single mother who previously experienced intimate partner violence and was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. The purpose of the study is to shed light on the complexity of the single motherhood experience, both internally and externally. From 2009 to 2019, the institutions I accessed for assistance as a single mother and those I interacted with for my children, my job, my health, and even within the church were unnecessarily burdensome financially, physically, and emotionally. This dissertation takes a contextual look at …

"Why Does This Have To Be So Hard?": Perinatal Experiences From An Ecological Systems Approach, Caitlin Senk

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This study examines the lived experience of the perinatal population to understand how they can be supported from the lens of different ecological systems and what counselors can do to better serve people with uteruses during their perinatal experience. Furthermore, this study aims to utilize an inclusive framework for capturing the perinatal experience of people with uteruses and to explore barriers and facilitators to care through an ecological systems framework. Fifteen participants who have experienced infertility, conception, pregnancy, miscarriage, childbirth, stillbirth, and postpartum were recruited through various means throughout the United States. Thematic analysis was used, with semi-structured interviews and …

Teaching During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Multiple Case Study Exploring Faculty Experiences In Fostering Positive Interaction With U.S.-Based Undergraduate Students, Lauren J. Bullock

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

COVID-19 changed how faculty members approached teaching in higher education in the United States. This study specifically looks at the changes in faculty-student interaction (FSI) during the COVID-19 pandemic. While extensive literature exists on the topic from the student perspective, the disruption in education necessitated a more extensive study of the faculty perspective. A multiple-case study methodology was employed to explore the experiences of a small cohort of faculty members at a single institution and how they fostered positive interactions with students from Spring 2019 through Spring 2023. The data collected included semi-structured interviews, course syllabi, teaching philosophies, and a …