Sociology Commons^™

Pushing The Boundaries Of Healing, Alankrit Shatadal

VA Engage Journal

This paper explains a summer volunteering opportunity at a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating a home environment for low-income families coming to city hospitals for intensive pediatric care. The importance of social determinants of health during the healing process is explored through examples of services provided by the Ronald McDonald House. These services range from meeting basic human needs to emotional care of pediatric patients. In addition, routes to potentially ameliorate observed challenges associated with pediatric hospitalization are discussed.

In fall 2020, Alankrit Shatadal will begin her senior year at Washington and Lee University, where she is pursuing degrees in …

Gender Difference In Longitudinal Social And Personal Factors Related To Frequency Of Alcohol Consumption Of South Korean Adults: A Fixed-Effects Model, Baksun Sung

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Student Research

The purpose of this study was to examine the longitudinal social and personal factors related to frequency of alcohol consumption by South Korean adults focused on comparisons between the men and women. Data came from the 2005-2016 Korea Welfare Panel Study. A fixed-effects model was used to examine the longitudinal correlations between dependent and independent variables. According to the present results, first, life satisfaction except for health satisfaction and marital status were not associated with alcohol consumption patterns by men. On the other hand, higher frequency of alcohol consumption by women is negatively associated with various life satisfaction variables and …

Collaboration And Evaluation In Urban Sustainability And Resilience Transformations: The Keys To A Just Transition?, Liliana Elizabeth Caughman

Dissertations and Theses

Climate has changed and will continue changing; city populations are swelling as urbanization continues to accelerate; extreme environmental events like heat waves and floods are becoming more severe and more common; and the climate justice movement is rapidly gaining momentum. It in this context that municipal governments find themselves urgently seeking solutions to transition cities from extractive, vulnerable, and unjust to sustainable, resilient, and equitable. The task is complex and will require systemic transformations across interconnected social, environmental, and economic infrastructures. Emerging theories regarding how to govern such massive changes suggest Transition Management strategies and the values of a just …

Race, Ethnicity, Or Kapwa: (Re)Conceptualizing Filipinoness In A Settler Society, Julienne (Eugenie) Mamuyac

Master's Projects and Capstones

Despite being the fourth-largest immigrant group in the U.S., Filipino Americans are deemed “the forgotten Asians” or “the invisible minority.” Who is our kapwa(community) amid this paradox? Given the U.S.’s imperial legacy of settler colonialism, this research attempts to interrogate this “invisibility” and further asks, "What does acculturation entail for Filipino Americans in a settler society?” Using the Indigenous methodology of kwentuhan(storytelling), I highlight the breadth of Filipino American experiences vis-a-vis their ethnic identity and, conversely, the hindrance to ethnic identity empowerment in a settler society.

Perceptions Of Danger, Tolerance Of Delinquency, And Economic Disadvantage: Examining Neighborhood Influences On Child Physical Abuse, Marijana M. Kotlaja, Abigail A. Fagan, Emily M. Wright

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Background

Social disorganization theory posits that both structural and social features of a particular geographic unit are associated with criminal behavior. Despite many tests of social disorganization theory, few studies have assessed its relevance to child abuse.

Objective

This study seeks to explain neighborhood variation in child maltreatment. The goal of the current study is to fill this gap by investigating whether or not child physical abuse is related to neighborhood economic disadvantage, perceptions of the dangerousness of the neighborhood, and norms regarding delinquency.

Participants and Setting

Data were drawn from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods …

Public Punitiveness: The Intersection Of Racial Attitudes And Empathy, Arsala Aneeq Khan

Theses and Dissertations

Public punitiveness has grown in recent decades and two components that help explain this rise are negative racial attitudes and empathy. For this thesis, a survey was passed out to 66 undergraduate criminal justice students at a mid-sized southern university. In order to better understand respondent relationship to punitiveness, a factor analysis was conducted that divided punitiveness into three scales. These scales were subsequently measured using three OLS regression analyses testing punitiveness with negative racial attitudes, empathy and control variables. The results showed no significant relationships between negative racial attitudes, empathy, and punitiveness. However, control variables such as age and …

The Evolution Of Love: The Meaning Of Romantic Love In Contemporary Society, Jessica Salas

Senior Theses

Romantic love has long acted as a significantly influential social institution. This thesis examines how ideology and practices surrounding romantic love and partnership differ across gender, race and ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. In order to carry out this investigation, a survey was administered to 141 participants between the ages of 18 to 84. Of these participants, approximately 62% were female, 36% were male, and 3% identified as Other. The majority of respondents were White, followed by Latino/Hispanic and Asian/Asian American. Overall, findings indicate that, when not accounting for race or income, men tend to demonstrate increased idealism in their romantic …

Reviewing Family Communication Scholarship: Toward A Framework For Conceptualizing A Communicative Perspective On Family Identity, Kaitlin E. Phillips, Jordan Soliz

Languages, Philosophy, and Communication Studies Faculty Publications

In this manuscript we review multiple approaches to family communication research, and provide directions for future research as they relate to family culture. Specifically, we review family communication research that is either explicitly or implicitly tied to family culture. Given the importance of families and understanding the first social group that individuals often belong to, it is necessary to synthesize programs of research related to family culture. Thus, in order to further the progression of family research we provide an overview of where current research on family communication converges, present additional factors for family scholars to include in their work, …

The Influence Of Prison Sentence Length On The Societal Dehumanization Of Ex-Offenders, Skye Jensen

Student Theses

The current study examined the factors that influence the societal dehumanization of offenders, belief in offender redeemability, and support for resource allocation and offender re- enfranchisement. Specifically, the study investigated how prison sentence length influences public opinion on these measures. Two hundred and twenty-two individuals participated in this study and were randomly assigned to one of two conditions involving their responses to a vignette depicting an offender having served either five or 15 years. The results revealed that the length of the offender’s prison sentence did not impact participants’ dehumanization of offenders, belief in their redeemability, or support for reentry …

The Ignatian Leader As Global Citizen, Jennifer Tilghman-Havens

Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal

This article highlights the various elements of the Ignatian worldview, as outlined by Superior General Peter-Hans Kolvenbach in his 1989 address. Drawing upon contemporary social science theorists, it illustrates the relevance of his remarks for today’s Jesuit institutions of higher education, especially as they undertake a critical consideration of race, gender and class in shaping Ignatian leaders for a more just, humane and sustainable world.

Ua94/6/1 My Story: Wku Basketball's Kenny Cooper, Kenny Cooper

Student/Alumni Personal Papers

My Story is a series of first-person feature articles written by WKU student-athletes. The student-athletes will be telling their own stories in their own words. This article written by basketball senior guard Kenny Cooper, who redshirted as a transfer in 2019-20 but will play his final college season this upcoming year.

A Changing Tea Culture, A Changing China: Variations In Conceptions Of Gift Tea Among Tea Sellers, Tiana Wang

Student Work

A 2019-2020 Williams Prize for best essay in East Asian Studies was awarded to Tiana Wang (Ezra Stiles College '20) for her essay submitted to the Department of Sociology, "A Changing Tea Culture, A Changing China: Variations in Conceptions of Gift Tea Among Tea Sellers” (Jeffrey Alexander, Lillian Chavenson Saden Professor of Sociology, advisor).

Tiana Wang’s essay, “A Changing Tea Culture, A Changing China: Variations in Conceptions of Gift Tea among Tea Sellers” makes substantial use of original interviews and observations with twenty tea sellers across Jinan, Shanghai, and Beijing to show that tea culture is changing with new …

Sexualized Symbols On Sexualized Bodies--The Sexual Objectification Of Tattooed Women, Addie Heckerl

Culture, Society, and Praxis

No abstract provided.

Anything Besides "Yes!" Means "No!", Alessia Giuseppina Rimicci

Culture, Society, and Praxis

No abstract provided.

Kenya: Covid-19 Perceptions, Prevention Practices, And Impact—Responses From Third Round Of Data Collection In Five Nairobi Informal Settlements (Kibera, Huruma, Kariobangi, Dandora, And Mathare), Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This brief presents findings from Round 3 of data collection in five Nairobi informal settlements (Kibera, Huruma, Kariobangi, Dandora, and Mathare). On May 10–11, 2020, phone interviews were completed with 1,750 adults, representing 87% of the original COVID-19 KAPstudy cohort. The average age of respondents was 36 years, and 63 percent were female. Almost all resided in the same location as in the previous interview three weeks prior. Overall, most participants are impacted economically and socially by the COVID-19 pandemic and associated social distancing and lockdown policies. Many report losing their source of income while also reporting increased costs of …

Nairobi Informal Settlements: Covid-19 Perceptions, Prevention Practices And Impact—Round 3, Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This presentation provides an overview from the third round of data collection from a phone survey conducted May 10–11, 2020, in five informal settlements in Nairobi (Kibera, Huruma, Kariobangi, Dandora, and Mathare). Total number of interviews completed was 1,750 (87 percent of Round 1); 37 percent of participants were male, 63 percent were female. Almost all resided in the same location as in the previous interview three weeks prior. The presentation covered myths and misconceptions on COVID-1; risk of being infected; what individuals would do if they had symptoms of COVID-19; testing; stigma; movement outside the home; handwashing behavior; use …

Afghan Refugees And The Coronavirus Pandemic, Grant M. Farr

Sociology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The coronavirus, along with international economic sanctions and the collapse of the world oil market, has devastated Iran and its economy, bringing the jobs that Afghan refugees have depended on for a livelihood to a halt. Over the last four decades thousands of Afghans have fled their war torn country and have been living in Iran. Now these Afghan refugees are returning to Afghanistan. Although some of the refugees are leaving on their own, many thousands are being forcefully expelled. These returning refugees are overwhelming the meager medical resources of Afghanistan, spreading the coronavirus across the country. These returning refugees …

Digilantism, Discrimination And Punitive Attitudes. A Digital Vigilantism Model, Sebastián A. Galleguillos

Student Theses

In this article, I propose and apply a digital vigilantism model to a specific incident that occurred in Mexico, where the death of two innocent people was filmed through Facebook Live. Using a mixed methods approach and content analysis, I analyzed digilante Facebook posts (N=942) coding gender, digital vigilantism categories, discriminatory comments, and punitive attitudes aimed at the perpetrators and the inciter of the lynching. The categories include investigating, blaming, or rebuking, while the discriminatory comments include classism, racism, homophobia, and body-shaming. I coded the punitive attitudes distinguishing four categories: non-physical punishment (calling for God’s wrath and the guilty conscience …

Making The Complicated Accessible: Kakali Bhattacharya’S Fundamentals Of Qualitative Research: A Practice Guide, Jason D. Dehart

The Qualitative Report

In this book review, the text, Fundamentals of Qualitative Research: A Practical Guide by Kakali Bhattacharya, is considered. Attention is given to the way the author takes complicated ideas and makes them accessible. The audience and potential uses of the book are also considered.

Combining Case Study Design And Constructivist Grounded Theory To Theorize Language Teacher Cognition, Eman I. M. Alzaanin Dr

The Qualitative Report

Although second language (L2) teacher cognition has been a sustained area of research in the field of L2 teacher education for the last three decades, designing an appropriate methodology to investigate teacher cognition is still a key challenge due to the unobservable nature of cognition. Teacher cognition is defined as “what teachers know, believe, and think” (Borg, 2003, p. 81). This article seeks to enable researchers who are interested in exploring L2 teacher cognition to design qualitative multiple case study research and to use constructivist grounded theory to data analysis to build theoretical models that capture L2 teachers’ cognitions. I …

Sanctuary Cities And Their Respective Effect On Crime Rates, Adam R. Schutt

Undergraduate Economic Review

According to the U.S. Center for Immigration Studies (2017), cities or counties in twenty-four states declare themselves as a place of “sanctuary” for illegal immigrants. This study addresses the following question: Do sanctuary cities experience higher crime rates than those cities that are not? Using publicly available data, this regression analysis investigates the relationship between crime rates in selected cities and independent variables which the research literature or the media has linked to criminal activity. Results of this research reveal that sanctuary cities do not experience higher violent or property crime rates than those cities that are not sanctuary cities.

Veteran Treatment Court Clients’ Perceptions Of Procedural Justice And Recidivism, Cassandra A. Atkin-Plunk, Gaylene Armstrong, Nicky Dalbir

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Studies surrounding the effectiveness of veterans’ treatment courts (VTCs) are now emerging. Absent from this scholarship is an examination of the presence of procedural justice within VTCs and the influence of procedural justice on future criminal behavior of VTC clients. To begin this dialogue, this study surveys 41 clients enrolled in two VTCs in a Southern state. We explore client perceptions of procedurally just treatment by their judge and assigned supervision officer. Using an average follow-up time of 20 months, this study also examines the effects of perceptions of procedural justice on recidivism of court clients. Results find VTC clients …

Barriers And Facilitators To Opioid Use Treatment And Recovery Services During Pregnancy, Loralie Woods

Dissertations

Purpose: To identify barriers and facilitators to opioid use treatment and recovery services among pregnant and nonpregnant women who misuse opioids.

Background: Over 130 Americans die daily after overdosing on opioids. Women have not been immune from opioid use disorders (OUDs), with a 4-fold increase from 1999-2010. The prevalence of opioid use among pregnant women increased from 1.5 per 1,000 hospital deliveries to 6.5. Although the annual National Surveys on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) has provided information on risk factors for OUD related to socioeconomic and demographic factors, no studies using this data have identified barriers to opioid use …

Measuring The Temporal Stability Of Near-Repeat Crime Patterns: A Longitudinal Analysis, David Hatten, Eric L. Piza

Publications and Research

This study investigates the temporal stability of identified near-repeat robbery patterns in Newark, New Jersey. With one noteworthy exception, scholars have yet to explore the temporal stability of identified spatiotemporal crime clusters. Furthermore, researchers have yet to measure the near-repeat phenomenon longitudinally. To fill this gap, this study employs a longitudinal design to measure variation in effect size and significance of identified near- repeat crime patterns across 13 “rolling” one-year time periods within a 2-year study period (January 2015–December 2016). Temporal instability was found within two out of six spatiotemporal crime clusters. Results are reported in the form of formalized …

Criminal Injustice: Considering White Privilege And Colonization In The Examination Of Racial Bias In The United States Criminal Justice System, Jane E. Sanders

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Laws and institutions in the United States have consistently marginalized people of color throughout the country's history. This research examines the United States' criminal justice system while considering how the country’s past of oppression has resulted in a racially biased system. Through analysis of policies, literature, and quantitative data, the primary goal of this research is not only to exhibit that racial discrepancies exist within the criminal justice system, but also to question how they persist in order to determine a solution. By utilizing both qualitative data collected through existing social theory as well as quantitative data showing varying perceptions …

Pre-Professional College Women’S Perceptions Of The Social Implications Of Company Sponsored Fertility Postponement, Jordane Schooley

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Large corporations, such as Apple and Google, as well as other tech companies, began incorporating fertility postponement in their health benefits to employees through the form of egg freezing and in-vitro fertilization starting in 2014. While some research exists looking at the implications of this policy for women in the workforce, little attention has been given to the perspective of young women about to enter the workforce. This research examines the perceptions of pre-professional women on the implications of potential future employers offering them egg freezing and IVF benefits, revealing contradictory feelings towards such policies. Since these women are in …

Nigerien Fertility Choice In The Face Of Desertification, Samson R. Swan

University Honors Theses

While the majority of the world experienced rapid fertility decline in the second half of the twentieth century, Niger’s fertility rate has remained relatively constant. A high fertility rate in itself is not a problem for the population as long as the resulting population can be sustained by the economic activity of the population. This is not the case for Niger, as extreme droughts in the Sahel have cast doubt on the sustainability of the majority-subsistence economy since the mid-1960s. Although not extremely common, there are some demographers and fertility experts who hold the idea that fertility decision-making is driven …

Toward A Definition Of Adult Sibling Resilience, Cheyenne R. Drover

University Honors Theses

The sibling relationship is considered one of the longest lasting connections an individual will have to another person. Despite this, it is a consistently understudied population in family research and, when studied, siblings are primarily examined during adolescence and often only in the context of conflict and rivalry. Additionally, much of this research does not examine the effects of sibling relationships on the larger family system. This thesis seeks to address this gap in the literature by understanding how the adult sibling literature presents and defines dimensions of sibling relationships. In doing so, it also seeks to examine whether these …

Devil In The Detail Of Scotus Ruling On Workplace Bias Puts Lgbtq Rights And Religious Freedom On Collision Course, Kelsy Burke, Emily Kazyak

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

orientation and gender identity was cheered by LGBTQ people and allies. Indeed, the June 15 decision represents a big win in the fight for LGBTQ equality. But buried towards the end of a 33-page majority opinion written by conservative stalwart Justice Neil Gorsuch is a sober warning that those celebrating the decision might have initially missed. In his reading, the religious beliefs of an employer may “supersede” the Title VII protections now being extended to the LGBTQ community in its resolution of Bostock v. Clayton County. It is an issue that courts will likely have to decide on a case-by-case …

Carty And Barraza: The Hidden Victims Of Covid-19, Victoria Carty, Greg Barraza

Sociology Faculty Articles and Research

"At the Chino Institute for Men (CIM) state prison, notorious for overcrowding conditions, the local authorities are moving toward an illogical pivot from 'containment' to 'encounter' in dealing with the health of both prisoners and staff in terms of the looming threat that Covid-19 poses. Soon, CIM officials intend to transfer inmates who have been living among other inmates who have tested positive for the virus into one of the dormitories where everyone thus far has tested negative and had been quarantined for two weeks. On May 10^th the facility halted the movement of all prisoners to isolate those …