Family, Life Course, and Society Commons^™

Reconstructing The Farm: Life Stories Of Dutch Female Farmers, Marisa Turesky

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

My research asks: what are the lived experiences of female farmers within the hegemonic construction of the Dutch farmer and how have their roles shifted through time? Popular culture has implanted stereotypes that most female farmers are uneducated, low-class individuals but the six women whom I interviewed present life stories that complicate this. How did these women come into their roles as farmers? Once they became such entrepreneurs, what were their challenges in a potentially male-dominated profession? While there has been extensive research on rural women’s historical roles in farming, I analyze the personal experiences of a small sample of …

Constructing Cidadania: Shifting Visions Of Citizenship In The Mst Settlement Assentamento 25 De Maio In Ceará, Brazil, Alexis Victoria Cruzzavala

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The social movement known as Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra (MST) was founded in 1984 with the intent of agrarian reform in a newly democratic Brazil. The movement arrived in Northeastern Brazil in the late 1980s and successfully organized a group of landless workers in the interior of Ceará on May 25, 1989 to create the first settlement the state had seen. The citizens of Assentamento 25 de Maio, as the settlement was later named, have undergone a unique social transition from circumstances closely resembling forced servitude and latifúndio to liberation. This transition affected the men and women who …

Puerto Disperso: La Existencia O No De La Comunidad Y El Espacio No-Heteronormativa En Valparaíso, Chile, Rebecca Raymond-Kolker

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The social and political reality of contemporary Chile continues to be characterized by hegemonic social conservatism and restrictive and often violent government. Within this context, studies of sexuality and deviations from normative sexuality in Chile have historically focused on certain identity groups—namely gay, lesbian, bisexual and transsexual/gender populations—in relation to this conservative context. Previous work on specifically lesbian and gay individuals focus on the relationship between identity formation and social realities. Gay and lesbian studies in Chile are often based in Santiago; as the capital and the largest metropolitan area, the 15th Region is the site of the most GLBT …

El Agua O El Oro: La Lucha Por Quimsacocha, Laura Moulton

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

El 2 de octubre, del 2011, en la comunidad de Victoria del Portete, los usuarios del Sistema Comunitario de Agua de Tarqui y Victoria del Portete participaron en una consulta popular para decidir si están de acuerdo o no con el proyecto minero de oro de Quimsacocha. A través de esta consulta, se dio a conocer la voluntad de la gente. De los 1.047 votos, 958 se pronunciaron “No” a la minería a gran escala, siendo el 92,38% del total. “Con la consulta, dijimos no al oro, si al agua,”[1] dijo Fanny Paute, habitante de Tarqui. Para la gente …

A National Symbol Or A National Frustration: Academic, Artistic, And Political Perspectives Of The African Renaissance Monument, Justin Wayne Ritter

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

On 3 April 2010, President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal inaugurated and dedicated the African Renaissance Monument to the people of his country, the people of Africa, and the rest of the world. By far one of the largest and most ambitious of his “Grand Projects,” the Monument has been enshrouded in controversy since its inception. Some have called it an idolatrous statue that insults the fundamental values of Islam, while others have praised it as a beacon of freedom leading Africa into the future. The research focuses on this controversy, and we begin by understanding the background and underlying debate …

Reproductive Health Education In The Kibera Slum: Developing A Slum-Specific Curriculum, Susanna Schneider Banks

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The principal objective of this Independent Study Project is to make recommendations for a slum-specific reproductive health curriculum to be used in primary schools that serve the Kibera Slum in Nairobi, Kenya. In order to obtain data and form a credible basis for the recommendations, interviews were conducted with teachers, focus groups were facilitated with students, and questionnaires were distributed to parents. Additionally, observations were made about the current state of reproductive health education at each school. Data was collected at Kibera School for Girls, a private school in Kibera, and Olympic Primary School, a public school at the edge …

Autism In Kenya: A Social, Educational And Political Perspective, Ariana Riccio

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Autism is a widely misunderstood developmental disability that is generally diagnosed in early childhood and has been the recent subject of much media and medical attention in developed nations worldwide. While there has been a noted improvement in diagnostic and therapeutic options for children and their families in developing nations, the attention placed on disability, particularly on autism, is considered underdeveloped and inadequate. This paper will attempt to address the current framework surrounding autism in the area of Nairobi, Kenya and discuss the social attitudes, diagnostic practices, educational opportunities, and government intervention programs available in the area. Given the lack …

Acholi Clan, Ethnic, And National Identities In Post-Conflict Northern Uganda: A Case Study In Koch Goma Sub-County, Nwoya District, David L. Davenport

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

the following essay, the researcher will explore the clan, ethnic, and national identities of the Acholi people in the context of post-conflict northern Uganda. The researcher will first describe and interpret the meaning of these identities to Acholi people he interviewed during his research, and then he will analyze them in the post-conflict, socio-cultural context of northern Uganda.

During a research period of four weeks, the researcher spent a total of twelve days in Koch Goma Sub-Country, Nwoya District conducting one-on-one interviews. During this time, the researcher was able to interview eighteen people. Data was collected and analyzed qualitatively as …

Cap Centre : L’Epicerie Sociale, Ana De Pina

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Contrairement à autres study abroad programs, « The School of International Training (SIT) » donne les étudiants Américains une opportunité de découvrir la culture Française, d’apprendre la langue Française, et de s’intègre dans la société Française. Pendant notre séjour en France, nous avons fait de bénévolat dans une association que correspond à nos études aux États-Unis. Aux États-Unis j’étudie la sante publique. Je suis très intéressé pour l’administration des hôpitaux et autres institutions de santé et la relation entre la sécurité sociale et la bonne santé. Donc, pendant trois mois j’ai travaillé au CAP Centre, une épicerie sociale qui aide …

Alliances Et Cultures: Cap Nord, Stacey Fitzpatrick

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

En essence, Alliance et Culture est un endroit où les gens peuvent rencontre et apprennent comment de vivre ensemble. Cette association, officiellement crée en 1987, avait la mission de répondre à problèmes d'intégration sociale par des actions collectives, et le développement d’une vie social dans les quartiers. Pour réaliser cet objectif ils offrent des activités et services ouvrent à tout le monde comme l’accompagnement à la scolarité, les ateliers, les cours d’alphabétisation et de Français, et les ludothèques et plus. Il y a trois centres en Toulouse dans diffèrent lieux qui contribuent aux les gens dans les quartiers des Mirail, …

De La Fragmentación A La Unidad: Familias Transnacionales Cochabambinas Y Las Relaciones A Larga Distancia A Consecuencia De La Migración A Los Estados Unidos, Maya Jacob

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In this project I studied the effects of migration on family relationships and pre-existing power structures when Bolivians migrate from Cochabamba to the United States. To investigate this topic I interviewed families of migrants, both those who had left for the U.S. and those who stayed behind in Cochabamba. I complemented this field study by interviewing professors of sociology (from the Universidad Católica in Cochabamba and the Universidad Mayor de San Simón) who specialize in themes of external migration. By learning about the relations within nuclear families and with other migrants in the U.S., the interviews afforded me a greater …

¿Por Qué Participan? Las Motivaciones De Participación De Los Miembros De La Corriente Classista Combativa En La Matanza Why Participate? The Motivation To Participate For The Members Of The Corriente Classista Combativa In La Matanza., Googie Karrass

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The ‘piquetero’ movement that emerged out of Argentina’s economic crisis of 2001 has undergone many transformations. Beginning in the early 90’s in response to the devastating neo-liberal policies of Carlos Menem, this movement of unemployed workers created new forms of political dissent and organization. While individual groups existed within the movement their method of public protest, the blockage of transit routes, and their shared objectives for institutional change and stable employment, allowed this movement to act as an untied front. During the crisis of 2001 and in the wake of the utter failure of Menem’s neo-liberal agenda the ‘piqueteros’ converged …

When Mountain Bellies Grow Round: Localized Knowledge And Behaviors Facilitating Pregnancy And Childbirth In Phaphlu, Nepal, Cailin Marsden

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In attempts to gain a level of understanding of a community’s localized experiences, beliefs, practices, and roles around pregnancy and childbirth, ethnographic fieldwork was conducted with the mothers and fathers of Phaphlu in the Solukhumbu district of Nepal. Aimed at the validation of diverse and localized ways of knowing revealed during the fieldwork period, this paper applies anthropologist Bridgette Jordan’s theoretical framework of authoritative knowledge to the emergent themes of subjectively understood childbirth (knowledge acquisition and flow, role of the husband, and protective behavior.)

We Are What We Eat: A Sherpa Cookbook, Renee Horen

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Everybody eats. This is a basic fact of life: that all people, given that they have the means, consume some type of food on a daily basis. Although this is a common factor which on some level may unify us all as one people, the food produced and consumed by any given individual, or culture as a whole, divides us by who we are and where we come from. Food consumption is more than just an act of survival and within our eating habits lays greater meaning than purely sustenance. Eating is a form of expression shaped by history and …

The Steroid/Peptide Theory Of Social Bonds: Integrating Testosterone And Peptide Responses For Classifying Social Behavioral Contexts, Sari M. Van Anders, Katherine L. Goldey, Patty X. Kuo

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

Hormones, and hormone responses to social contexts, are the proximate mechanisms of evolutionary pathways to pair bonds and other social bonds. Testosterone (T) is implicated in trade-offs relevant to pair bonding, and oxytocin (OT) and arginine vasopressin (AVP) are positively tied to social bonding in a variety of species. Here, we present the Steroid/Peptide Theory of Social Bonds (S/P Theory), which integrates T and peptides to provide a model, set of predictions, and classification system for social behavioral contexts related to social bonds. The S/P Theory also resolves several paradoxes apparent in the literature on social bonds and hormones: the …

From Pasture To Plate: A Study Of The Rituals, Ecology And Economics Of Sheep In The Context Of Aid Al Adha In Morocco, Carrisa Sue Pritchard

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This project addresses the ecological and economic roles that sheep play in Morocco in the context of Aid Al Adha celebration. It specifically examines the methods of sacrificing, butchering and preparing the different parts of the ram as part of the holiday as experienced by the researcher in a case-study located in the Rabat Medina. However, it goes further, as to explore the impact that sheep agriculture has on the nation’s economy and on the lives of Moroccans in both urban and rural areas. It discusses strategies that the Ministry of Agriculture and other agencies use to help facilitate local …

Profanity In Media Associated With Attitudes And Behavior Regarding Profanity Use And Aggression, Sarah Coyne, Laura Ann Stockdale, David A. Nelson, Ashley Michelle Fraser

Faculty Publications

We hypothesized that exposure to profanity in media would be directly related to beliefs and behavior regarding profanity and indirectly to aggressive behavior.

The Relationship Between Male Partner's Pornography Use And Couples' Attachment, Andrew P. Brown

Theses and Dissertations

Adult attachment theory continues to play an important role in explaining pathology within couples. Pornography is becoming more and more pervasive since the inception of the internet. This study looked at the relationship between insecure attachment, accessibility, responsiveness, and engagement with frequency of male pornography use. Little is known about pornography use and its impact on couple dynamics. This study specifically looked at pornography use predicting insecure attachment within couples. The sample was taken from the RELATionship Evaluation (RELATE) and consisted of 189 couples. Male pornography use was found to be a predictor of insecure attachment …

Activation Of Matrix Metalloproteinases Following Anti-Aβ Immunotherapy; Implications For Microhemorrhage Occurrence, Donna M. Wilcock, Dave Morgan, Marcia N. Gordon, Tiffany L. Taylor, Lisa A. Ridnour, David A. Wink, Carol A. Colton

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Anti-Aβ immunotherapy is a promising approach to the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD) currently in clinical trials. There is extensive evidence, both in mice and humans that a significant adverse event is the occurrence of microhemorrhages. Also, vasogenic edema was reported in phase 2 of a passive immunization clinical trial. In order to overcome these vascular adverse effects it is critical that we understand the mechanism(s) by which they occur.

METHODS: We have examined the matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) protein degradation system in two previously published anti-Aβ immunotherapy studies. The first was a passive immunization study in which …

Senior Transportation Abstracts: A Focus On Options, Helen Kerschner, Nina M. Silverstein

Gerontology Institute Publications

This collection of abstracts represents a publication of importance for understanding the needs, challenges, solutions, and/or every day issues related to senior transportation services. While several of the abstracts include information about senior driver safety, the collection’s primary purpose is to present a holistic approach to transportation options for older adults. Such a collection is timely because, although the practice of providing transportation to older adults is not new, research and preparation of practical informational and technical materials related to older adult transportation service needs and service delivery are quite recent.

Southeastern Kentuckians Remain Optimistic Through Great Recession: Growing Concerns About Sprawl, Housing, And Recreational Opportunities, Jessica D. Ulrich

Carsey Publications

In May and June of 2007, Carsey Institute researchers surveyed 1,000 randomly selected respondents from Kentucky’s Harlan and Letcher counties, and between November 2010 and January 2011, they returned to survey 1,020 different randomly selected respondents from the same counties. These two Kentucky counties provide a snapshot of perceptions of community and environmental change in a chronically poor rural place. This brief focuses on the questions asked in both surveys to identify area wide (Harlan and Letcher counties combined) changes since the Great Recession. The surveys reveal that the recession has exacerbated concern about many community-level problems including poverty, affordable …

New Americans: Child Care Decision-Making Of Refugee And Immigrant Parents Of English Language Learners, Helen Ward Jd, Erin E. Oldham Lachance Phd, Julie Atkins Ma

Children, Youth, & Families

The immigrant and refugee communities in the United States continue to increase. Denver, Colorado and Portland, Maine are two U.S. cities that reflect the changing demographics across the country. As these cities evolve and adjust to serve new populations, it becomes necessary to rethink deep-rooted culturally constructed patterns and traditions that do not take into account the beliefs and practices of these new cultures. One such tradition is child care. Because of the important link between preschool experiences and later school success, understanding refugee and immigrant families’ beliefs and decisions about child care is extremely important. From a policy perspective, …

Coming Of Age In Marshfield: A Needs Assessment Of Aging Services, Jan Mutchler, Sandra Mccoskrie Blanchette

Gerontology Institute Publications

The purpose of this needs assessment is to investigate the needs, interests, and opinions of mature residents of Marshfield, Massachusetts, relating to their aging experiences and needs for age‐related services. On behalf of the Marshfield Council on Aging (COA), this assessment was conducted by the Collins Center for Public Management and the Gerontology Institute of the McCormack Graduate School at UMass Boston. The focus of this report is on Marshfield residents aged 60+ (referred to here as “Seniors”) and residents aged 45‐59 (referred to here as “Boomers”). Information about these two age groups was obtained both through the U.S. Census …

Massachusetts Senior Legal Assistance Project Needs Evaluation: Current Demand For Legal Services, Alison Gottlieb, Lauren A. Martin, Ellen A. Bruce

Gerontology Institute Publications

The Gerontology Institute at the University of Massachusetts Boston was contracted to conduct a statewide needs assessment for the MSLAP. As agreed upon by the MSLAP Advisory Board, the focus of this assessment was to analyze the demand for services Massachusetts legal service providers have experienced recently as a means to understanding the legal needs of Massachusetts elders (age 60 and older). A second needs assessment was conducted by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Elder Affairs. That needs assessment surveyed home care workers and other elder agency personnel to gauge their assessment of elders’ legal needs in Massachusetts. Read together, …

Relationship Formation And Stability In Emerging Adulthood: Do Sex Ratios Matter?, Tara D. Warner, Wendy D. Manning, Peggy C. Giordano, Monica A. Longmore

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Research links sex ratios with the likelihood of marriage and divorce. However, whether sex ratios similarly influence precursors to marriage (transitions in and out of dating or cohabiting relationships) is unknown. Utilizing data from the Toledo Adolescent Relationships Study and the 2000 U.S. Census, this study assesses whether sex ratios influence the formation and stability of emerging adults’ romantic relationships. Findings show that relationship formation is unaffected by partner availability, yet the presence of partners increases women’s odds of cohabiting, decreases men’s odds of cohabiting, and increases number of dating partners and cheating among men. It appears that sex ratios …

Unemployment In The Great Recession: Single Parents And Men Hit Hard, Marybeth J. Mattingly, Kristin Smith, Jessica A. Bean

Carsey Publications

This brief discusses the sweeping impact the Great Recession has had on Americans, particularly men, single parents, young adults, and people with less education. Using data from the 2007 and 2010 Annual Social and Economic Supplement of the Current Population Survey, the authors report that unemployment is highest among men and among unmarried adults, regardless of place or parenting status. Although this was also true before the recession, gaps between men and women, and the unmarried and married, have widened considerably during the recession. Also during the Great Recession, unemployment rose more in central cities and suburban places than in …

Evaluation Of The Global Association Between Cholesterol-Associated Polymorphisms And Alzheimer's Disease Suggests A Role For Rs3846662 And Hmgcr Splicing In Disease Risk, Christopher R. Simmons, Fanggeng Zou, Steven G Younkin, Steven Estus

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP)s that are essentially unequivocally associated with peripheral cholesterol. Since the alleles of the APOE gene, which modulate peripheral cholesterol metabolism, and midlife plasma cholesterol are both associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk, we have evaluated the hypothesis that SNPs associated with plasma cholesterol are also associated with AD.

RESULTS: Seventeen non-APOE SNPs reproducibly associated with cholesterol per GWAS were tested for association with AD in ~2,000 AD and ~4,000 non-AD subjects. As a group, these SNPs are associated with AD. Two SNPs in particular, rs3846662 and rs1532085, are …

Coaching Versus Family: The Consequences Of The Work-Family Conflict Among Male Collegiate Head Coaches, John T. Avritt

Graduate Theses

Researchers have shown that coaches experience burnout due to role conflict, role ambiguity, and work-family conflicts (Kelley & Baghurst, 2009). The demands of being a coach are many. When a coach has a spouse and children, a work-family conflict can develop. Work-family conflict in coaching is created when the coach cannot effectively balance the time and attention demands for both the job and home. Naturally, consequences arise as a result of this conflict. The purpose of this study was to better understand what consequences exist in the lives of male, collegiate head coaches and to provide suggestions for effectively managing …

Primetimes Newsletter, Fall 2011, Office Of Lifespan Studies

PrimeTimes Newsletter

PrimeTimes is the newsletter of the Office of Lifespan Studies in the College of Science at Coastal Carolina University.

Skype Mothers: Technology, Multi-Directional Care In The Transnational Filipino Family, Valerie Francisco

Faculty Publications, Sociology

This paper explores the redefinition of the roles and operation of the Filipino family for migrant and non-migrant members. Scholars have posited that “transnational motherhood” has reorganized they way that migrant mothers make meaning and participate family life in both of their host and home contexts. This paper posits that through strategies of “multi-directional care,” care work for transnational families go both ways: non-migrant family members actively partake in caring for their migrant family members. The main findings in the paper highlight the use of video computer technology to make meaning of familial roles that usually necessitate physical presence such …