Sociology Commons^™

The Economic Re-Emergence Of China Within The World System, Daniel Sarabia

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Through the course of history nation-states have undergone immense socioeconomic transformations as they shuffle positions in the world economy. In tracing the development of the global economy we can see that the accumulation of capital is not a new phenomenon, but a continuous part of human history. This global economic system emerged in Afro-Eurasia and can be traced back a millennium before European hegemony. Long before European economic dominance, the global economy was centered in Asia with its hegemonic center in China. This thesis will bring to light the historical presence of Asia within the world system and argue that …

A Unifying Approach For Researching Disasters: Disrupted Social Logic And Triangulating Interdisciplinary Methods, Andrew J. Hund

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This thesis develops a meso-level theory of disrupted social logic and suggests triangulation for its study. This theory addresses the inadequate definition, classification, and theoretical foundations of disaster research. The lack of control groups and researchers’ reliance on single methods are also addressed. Based on over 400 academic articles, books, published reports, and non-verbal communications, from 2500 BC to present, analytical induction was employed to develop the theory of disrupted social logic. A best evidence synthesis was also used to examine seventy-two proposed or in practice disaster research methodologies. Implications of this interdisciplinary theoretical approach are discussed. A new historical …

Empowerment Through Dancing?: Perceptions Of Occupational Power And Control Among Female Exotic Dancers, Patricia A. Hernandez

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The purpose of this thesis is to examine female sex workers and issues of power. My investigation focuses specifically on female exotic dancers and whether they perceive power in their work. The question I intend to answer is do exotic dancers see themselves as having power in relation to the men they dance for? Drawing on both feminist theory and women’s experience in the sex industry, I expect to discover whether or not strippers gain a sense of power from their work, whether they feel they have control over the conditions of their work, and how power and control can …

Alternative Spring Break And Social Responsibility Is There A Relationship?, Judith Angela Biggs Garbuio

Thesis, Dissertations, Student Creative Activity, and Scholarship

Humans are living in a complex, interdependent, global society. Violence by youth is at an all-time high, the school system is failing to educate students (especially in urban areas), and all of this is compounded by major economic and social forces that are significantly altering the fabric of our lives. According to Keith (1994) these forces include: “… the impact of technology and the globalization of the economy on social relations and the structure of work (Broyn. 1991; Mingrone, 1983; Offee & Heinz. 1992; Wilson. 1987); the depletion of non-renewable resources and the ecological crisis; the mounting pace of population …

The Effects Of Ethnicity, Ethnic Salience And Ethnic Identification On Consumers' Sources Of Information And Purchase Behavior, Patricia Wooten Humphrey

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if there were any significant differences in the search and purchase behavior between white and black consumers due to ethnicity, ethnic identification, ethnic salience and ethnic situation.

The sample was chosen from two universities, one predominately white, the other predominately black. Of the 360 questionnaires administered, 345 were usable. The sample was representative of the student population of each university with respect to age, gender, and ethnicity. Statistical techniques used were ANOVAs, t-tests and paired comparisons.

The findings indicate that ethnicity plays an important role in an individual's sources of information used …

Researcher/Practitioner Teams: A Potential Tool For Creating Democratic Dialogue In Participatory Evaluation, Regina Ann Misch

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Since December 1996, The Center for Applied Social Analysis and Education (CASAE) has conducted an evaluation for a juvenile justice program in Humboldt County. CASAE has taken a participatory approach to the evaluation by involving the probation officers and other practitioners in data collection and report composition. The evaluation is unique in that the researchers have the opportunity to experience the practitioner’s work first hand by observing the practitioner during visits to their clients. I have termed this collaborative tool, researcher/ practitioner teams (r/p teams). Such an experience may promote a bond of trust between the researcher and practitioner and …

Toward A Sociological Understanding Of Heroic Behavior: A Focus On Carnegie Heroes, Anna F. Lomascolo

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This qualitative study explored the motivational factors underlying heroic acts of rescue and the ways in which gender role expectations appeared to have influenced whether or not males and females offered help in emergency situations. The overarching research question was What socio-cultural factors prompt individuals to risk their lives on behalf of others? In order to provide answers to this question, one-on-one, structured interviews were conducted with 75 recipients of the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission’s medal for civilian heroism. Research findings revealed predominantly normative motivations which were evident in three forms: (1) adherence to the norm of social responsibility; (2) …

An Evaluation Of The Court Appointed Special Advocate Program In Humboldt County's Juvenile Court, Ruben Alvarado

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The Court Appointed Special Advocates of Humboldt program has grown to at a very rapid rate. CASA of Humboldt has become the largest rural program in the state of California. A program evaluation of the CASA of Humboldt program was performed to determine if the program is meeting its organizational mandate and to assess the impact on the children represented by CASA volunteers. A case study design was used to research the nature of CASA intervention on case disposition. A triangulation of findings from several mini-surveys which were administered to juvenile court judges, attorneys, social workers, CASA case managers and …

The Shadow Children, Patricia A. Menzies

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Fifty years ago, to be a good foster parent, all one needed was a lot of love and patience. As we approach the 21st century, foster parenting has become a complex career choice wherein the foster parent needs to have a multi-faceted background in order to adequately deal with children who have been traumatized by those who should have been protecting them. Oftentimes suffering severe psychological damage, these children can present an overwhelming challenge to particularly the novice foster parent, but also to the veteran foster parent who is finding that, with each year, the children are arriving with more …

An Assessment Of The Project Challenge Pilot Program Evaluation, Judy Lynn Scripter

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

There are ongoing discussions in the field of social research concerning the utility of Program Evaluation (Browne and Wildavsky, 1983; Posavac and Carey, 1989; Deshler and Ewert, 1995). Program managers need relevant information to make policy decisions, improve processes, or validate their existence. Program evaluation activities need to be assessed for the same reasons social researchers evaluate programs, i.e., accountability, selecting best practices, program improvement, etc.... Posavac and Carey (1989:3) state “The mission of program evaluation... is to assist in improving the quality of human services.” The purpose of this project was to assess the evaluation of Project Challenge Pilot …

Making Genes: A Pilot Study Of The Social Construction Of Biotechnology, Christopher B. Ganchoff

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Biotechnology, the duplication of natural processes with artificial procedures and objects, is reshaping the way we see ourselves, and the world around us. Recent advances in genetic engineering have resulted in unprecedented hypotheses about the power and efficacy of the human genetic code. The entire human genetic structure is in the process of being mapped out, and this project should be completed within the next ten years. The Human Genome Project (HGP) represents are qualitative leap in modern science; it is a trans-national enterprise that promises to simultaneously release humanity from the grip of a multitude of physiological pathologies, and …

The Media's Influence On Women's Labor Force Participation: A Content Analysis Of Magazines, Cassandra S. Crawford

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The media can be understood not as a mechanism which dictates cultural specifics, but rather, as forum for cultural mimicry. The Symbolic Interactionist perspective suggests that the media has a degree of influence similar to that of other actors, because readers are imputed in the production of meaning. Interactions are dynamic and, as a consequence, a multiplicity of meanings are inevitable. Women’s occupational imaging in advertisements can be utilized to illustrate this assertion. Year intervals in which labor force participation rates increased 1.5% or greater were extracted from labor force data. In order to ascertain what influence the media has …

Factors Which Cause Families To Home School Their Children In Northeast Tennessee, Tony G. England

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The problem which this researcher investigated centered around the motivational factors which caused parents to educate their children at home. The purpose of this study was to assess the factors as perceived to cause families to home school their children. This study of home school education offered the opportunity to examine the dynamics within home schooling families as they conducted a non-traditional educational alternative. The study may provide information and insight to assist public school policy makers in considering inclusion of program components presently perceived as missing. Two home school associations in upper East Tennessee responded to a home school …

Status Processes And Mental Ability Test Scores, Michael J. Lovaglia, Jeffrey W. Lucas, Jeffrey A. Houser, Shane R. Thye, Barry N. Markovsky

Faculty Publications

The expected consequences of a score on an ability test can constrain individual performance. The authors predict that status processes, including status differences and the differences in rewards and costs that result, will produce differences in ability test scores between high-status and low-status individuals. In three controlled experi- ments, participants randomly assigned low status scored lower on a standard test of mental ability (the Raven Progressive Matrices) than did participants assigned high status. For both men and women, the difference in ability test score between low-status and high-status participants was about half a standard deviation. The results suggest the need …

Romantic And Electronic Stalking In A College Context, Rebecca K. Lee

William & Mary Journal of Race, Gender, and Social Justice

No abstract provided.

The Role Of Alternative Dispute Resolution Techniques In Siting A Multiple Assistance Center In Eureka, California, Julie A. Orth

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

For many years, the siting of a Multiple Assistance Center (MAC) for the homeless in the Eureka area has been a contentious issue. Public outcry has prevented service providers and government representatives from siting a MAC thus far. This project has been an attempt to reduce and answer public opposition by allowing the community to participate in the siting process. By allowing their concerns to be heard and addressed via public meetings and written forms, the objective criteria for the MAC and its location was created. Next, again through meetings and mailings, all members of the community had the opportunity …

The Dilemmas Of Conflict Resolution In Central And Eastern Europe, Lisa Marie Shochat

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

At a time when the future of Central and Eastern Europe stands tenuously between a history of authoritarian regimes and contemporary endeavors to establish political stability through democracy, it is important to investigate those social structures which hold the potential to strengthen the democratic participation and self- determinism of the population. Through an analysis of the mission and practice of dispute resolution organizations described in case studies, conference presentations, annual reports, newsletters, and web pages, the research shows how the development of mediating norms and institutions support a wide variety of goals including strengthening democratic participation, stimulating systemic changes for …

Batawat By The Sea: The Wiyot In Mckinleyville, California, Dorothy Lavalle

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This thesis is an interpretive ethnography using a heuristic approach in reconstructing the history of the Wiyot people through analysis of pertaining historical and anthropological literature, broadened with information from ethnographic interviews done in the last ten years with Indian and non-Indian community members. Batawat is the northern Wiyot district, located on the Mad River in Humboldt County, California, interrupted and eventually destroyed by American colonization in the 1850s and 1860s. The surviving Batawats returned after removal, to live in far more sparse and restricted circumstances in McKinleyville, the site of Batawat sacred and residential areas. Some Batawats remained on …

The Media's Influence On Welfare Recipients' Self Perceptions, Candice L. Ludlow

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This is a two-fold study of the media's influence on welfare recipients' self perceptions. The research focuses on how news stories about welfare effect women who receive Aid to Families with Dependent Children. It is my contention that welfare recipients have increasingly been scapegoated through the media by politicians and policymakers for the economic woes of this country. Welfare recipients are also blamed for their economic position in society. Historically, the discourse in the popular media neglects structural issues of poverty. Instead the debate focuses on changing welfare recipients' behaviors, by means such as denying benefits to those who conceive …

Power In Exchange Networks: Critique Of A New Theory, Barry N. Markovsky, David Willer, Brent Simpson, Michael J. Lovaglia

Faculty Publications

Markovsky et al criticize Yamaguchi's (1996) theory of power in social exchange networks, revealing internal theoretical contradictions. Yamaguchi responds to the criticisms.

Acculturation And Response Style On Mexican Americans On The Millon Index Of Personality Styles, Alicia Stephens Guffey

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This research investigated response style differences between highly acculturated and low acculturated Mexican-Americans on the Negative Impression (NI) and Positive Impression (PI) Scales of the Millon Index of Personality Styles (Millon, 1994). The MIPS is a questionnaire designed to measure personality styles of normally functioning adults. Research has suggested that culturally distinct response styles are common in less acculturated Mexican-Americans. If present, these culturally distinct styles could be misinterpreted and have a negative or harmful impact on the assessment of Mexican-Americans. Analyses of covariance on data from two culturally distinct groups of Mexican-American college students, with age, gender, educational level, …

Occupation As Spiritual Activity, Brenda S. Howard, Jay R. Howard

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

Although spirituality is rarely explicitly mentioned in the occupational therapy literature, it is implied as an interwoven part of the human system. This article explores the meaning of occupation in the context of sociological and Judeo-Christian theological frameworks and the meaning of spirituality in the occupational therapy clinic. A case is made for acknowledging spirituality in clinical reasoning as a centralizing component of the patients' motivation and assignment of meaning to life.

Interpersonal Christian Prayer And Communication, E. James Baesler

Communication & Theatre Arts Faculty Publications

Nationwide statistical polling during the past 40 years have indicated that prayer is a frequent and important activity for a majority of Americans. Yet communication scholars have yet to theoretically consider the relationship between prayer and communication. This investigation compared and contrasted a particular type of prayer, Interpersonal Christ¦·n Prayer (ICP), with a particular type of communication context, Interpersonal Communication (IC). Results suggested that ICP and IC share common ground in their dyadic nature, intentionality, and in specific communication processes, and that they differ in the nature of the relational being one is communicating with, the locus of initial intent …

Looking Below The Rim: Deconceptualizing Sport As A "Male Activity"- Acknowledging Women's Contributions, Kristin L. Oakley

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Throughout its existence, sport has stigmatized “female” characteristics as an inhibition to one’s athleticism, while at the same time emphasizing the need for team cohesion in order to excel. In an effort to value women’s contributions to sport, and counteract the popular equation of sport as “male,” I have examined and compared the amount of nonverbal support which men and women communicate between teammates. Using the basketball court as my field of observation, I videotaped Humboldt State University’s men’s and women’s intercollegiate basketball teams (Division II squads) for a two year period, culminating 124 hours of data (granted exempt status …

Economics And Sociology: The Prospects For An Interdisciplinary Discourse Of Law, Kenneth G. Dau-Schmidt

Articles by Maurer Faculty

My purposes in this essay are two-fold. First, I provide some background on the disciplines of economics and sociology as a basis for the discussion at this Symposium and for my own discussion of the potential for an interdisciplinary discourse on law. In this regard, in the first section of the essay I provide a brief history of the relationship between the two disciplines, a brief outline of the basic characteristics of each disciplinary perspective, and a brief discussion of the emerging opportunities for useful exchange between the two disciplines. Second, I examine the prospects that the economic analysis of …

Identity Development And Student Involvement Of African-American Undergraduate Students At Historically White Colleges And Universities In Southern Appalachia, Rosemary G. Bundy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study of African American undergraduates at Emory & Henry College, Tusculum College, Western Carolina University, East Tennessee State University, Appalachian State University, and University of North Carolina at Asheville was conducted to determine students' stages of identity development, level of involvement in campus activities, and demographic characteristics within historically White Southern Appalachian colleges and universities, both public and independent. Three research questions were answered by analyzing 21 null hypotheses using the t-test and the chi square test. Hypotheses were tested at the.05 level of significance. Data collected in this study revealed that the students' perceptions of identity development and …

The Human Constitution And Constitutive Law: A Prolegomenon, John O. Mcginnis

Articles

No abstract provided.

The Bubble's Skin: A Complex Biocultural Sociological Perspective Of Meaning; A Perspective Of Sociological Meaning, Laurenc L. Devita

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Complexity theories provide us with insight into the relationship between social "things". Things can be understood as concatenations of differences in the products of relative processes. As sociologists, we can use complexity theories to animate biocultural concepts to better understand how individual humans doing what they do gives rise to order at higher social levels- culture and structure. Meaning is the most human of human activities, and through an understanding of Meaning we can understand social structure. Meaning, in this discussion, is primarily emotion, for it is through emotion that we understand. Emotion arises in the brain, expresses itself in …

Healthy Start: Strengthening The Lives Of Children And Families, Michelle Hardy

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

My project consists of an examination of an initiative called Healthy Start, which was developed to better the lives of children and families. The objective of Healthy Start is to make improvements with children and families in terms of school performance and physical and social well-being. The Healthy Start Support Services for Children Act (Senate Bill 620) is California's first statewide effort to place comprehensive support services at the school site. During my study, I investigated five Healthy Start sites in Northern California, four of which are located in Humboldt county. My reason for doing this project is to evaluate …

Politics Of The Marginal Vs. Truth Seeking: Pmsi As The Future Of Pragmatist Social Inquiry, Lutfi Altunsu

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

It is argued that social theory is in a crises in addressing the social, economical, cultural, and political relations in so called postmodern society which is a new formation in late twentieth century. For this reason, some of the sociologists who follow Symbolic Interactionist tradition have attempted to associate Symbolic Interactionism (SI) with Postmodernism (PM). Renewing Symbolic Interactionism can help us to overcome this crisis in theorizing the postmodern world. In order to see whether or not this association is possible and desirable, Symbolic Interactionist and Postmodernist traditions are compared at ontological, epistemological, and axiological levels. And, also the ideas …