Politics and Social Change Commons^™

Fearless: Jessie Pierce, Jessie M. Pierce

SURGE

A vocal advocate for socio-environmental justice issues and a believer in the potential for social change in the developing world, Jessie Pierce ’14 fearlessly travels, volunteers, and researches to promote awareness and change. Studying abroad last year for both semesters, spending one semester in Denmark and one in India, gave Jessie the interest, skills, and drive to continue pursuing a deeper understanding of these issues while at Gettysburg. [excerpt]

On Learning And Unlearning, Katherine M. Patterson

SURGE

I remember passing our lunch lady–the nice one with a big bleach-blond afro. She was perched on an elementary-school-sized desk, eyes fixated to the television. I glanced at the screen on the way into my classroom while my teacher hesitated in the hallway, whispering to the other adults. She reentered the room a few minutes later to explain.

In the following months, my television provided me with one of the most formative, practical and comprehensive educational experiences of my life. First it was vocabulary building, with the words like “hi-jacker,” and “terrorist.” Then it was physics, learning that inertia is …

Fearless: Aleksandra Petkova, Aleksandra V. Petkova

SURGE

Consistently serving the campus community, conducting new research in psychology, and leading younger students to realizations about their own roles in fighting for social Justice, Aleksandra Petkova ’14 has fearlessly pursued opportunities to promote social change all four of her years here at Gettysburg.

What It's Like To Be A Radical Conservative, Stephanie K. Adamczak

SURGE

“What is your major?”

“Environmental Science.”

The snarky retort, “Don’t go joining GreenPeace now, you’re becoming a radical.”

I know there are many uses of the word “radical,” but in this context, I know that it is not meant as a compliment. Because I study environmental science and global climate change, this person associates me with radicals – those utilizing extreme methods to bring about extreme changes. [excerpt]

Dmitri Shalin Interview With Edward Tiryakian About Erving Goffman Entitled "Parsons Was About 5'6" Or 5'5" But When He Started To Speak, He Got To Be Six Feet Five", Edward Tiryakian

Bios Sociologicus: The Erving Goffman Archives

This interview with Edward Tiryakian, Professor Emeritus of Sociology at Duke University, was recorded on August 23, 2011, at the Mediterranean Café in Las Vegas. Dmitri Shalin transcribed the interview, after which Dr. Tiryakian edited the transcript and approved posting the present version in the Goffman Archives. Breaks in the conversation flow are indicated by ellipses. Supplementary information and additional materials inserted during the editing process appear in square brackets. Undecipherable words and unclear passages are identified in the text as “[?]” The interviewer’s questions are shortened in places.

The Consolidation Of The Consociational Democracy In Lebanon: The Challenges To Democracy In Lebanon, Micheline Germanos Ghattas

Dissertations and Theses

This dissertation looks at democracy in Lebanon, a country that has a pluralistic society with many societal cleavages. The subject of this study is the consolidation of democracy in Lebanon, described by Arend Lijphart as a "consociational democracy". The research question and sub-question posed are:

1- How consolidated is democracy in Lebanon?

2- What are the challenges facing the consolidation of democracy in Lebanon?

The preamble of the 1926 Lebanese Constitution declares the country to be a parliamentary democratic republic. The political regime is a democracy, but one that is not built on the rule of the majority in numbers, …

Porch Culture: The Stoop Of Entitlement, Marina K. Crouse

SURGE

To the class of 2017:

Welcome to Gettysburg. Welcome to the next four years of your life. Welcome to the school where you spend vast amounts of time at or trying to get into a Fraternity House. Welcome to the school plagued by porch culture. [excerpt]

Fearless: Nadejiah Towns, Nadejiah Z. Towns

SURGE

This week we would like to recognize Nadejiah Towns ’15 as a fearless fighter against poverty. This summer she has served as a Heston intern for the South Central Community Action Program (SCCAP) and has spent the majority of her time with the Work Ready program, a “welfare to work” organization that helps low-income community members gain the skills needed to by obtaining a reliable, professional job and become self-sufficient.

Why Occupy?: Principal Reasons For Participant Involvement In Occupy Portland, Danielle Filecia

Dissertations and Theses

Occupy Wall Street galvanized the country and attracted thousands of participants, who came to New York City in order to protest corporate greed. Occupy Portland, standing in solidarity with Occupy Wall Street, began their encampment less than a month later and attracted more participants on its first day than did Occupy Wall Street. This grounded theory inquiry uncovers the principle reasons why individuals participated in Occupy Portland. The findings revealed that participants were (1) upset about the bank bailouts and corporate irresponsibility; (2) swept up by the size and organization of Occupy; and (3) looking to get some fundamental societal …

Brooks Better Not Come Back, Helena E. Yang

SURGE

Every time a new season of the Bachelorette starts, I tell myself that I won’t watch this season—that I won’t give in to the trashiness and the petty drama which is the Bachelor. But I can’t help it. Season after season I’m hooked and 17 seasons later… here I am. [excerpt]

Fearless: Professor Janet Powers And Linnea Goebel, Janet M. Powers, Linnea C. Goebel

SURGE

This week we would like to recognize Professor Janet Powers and recent graduate Linnea Goebel ’13 for their work in Bosnia this summer helping to set up a group of female embroiderers with an Amazon Marketplace account to sell their wares on the internet. [excerpt]

Torch (August 2013), Brandon Baldwin, Civil Rights Team Project

Torch: The Civil Rights Team Project Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Men's Modesty, Religion, And The State: Spaces Of Collision, Karen M. Morin

Faculty Journal Articles

This article examines religious practices in the United States, which govern modesty and other dress norms for men. I focus both on the spaces within which they most collide with regulatory regimes of the state and the legal implications of these norms, particularly for observant Muslim men. Undergirding the research are those ‘‘gender equality’’ claims made by many religious adherents, that men are required to maintain proper modesty norms just as are women. Also undergirding the research is the extensive anti-Islam bias in American culture today. The spaces within which men’s religiously proscribed dress and grooming norms are most at …

Fearless: Heather Thomas, Heather L. Thomas

SURGE

This week we would like to recognize recent graduate and AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer Heather Thomas ’13, who is returning to Gettysburg as the fearless new coordinator for the Adams County Food Policy Council. [excerpt]

Economic Inequality's Correlation With Political Inequality And Inequality Of Opportunity And The Implications For Social Justice Theory, Staci Leigh Schoff

Dissertations and Theses

In 2004 the American Political Science Association ("APSA") published research exploring whether the rising income inequality in the United States had an effect on political equality. Although the APSA found tremendous evidence of a correlation between income and political power, the APSA nonetheless concluded that the issue could not be conclusively determined without further analysis.

The intent of this thesis is to argue the position that economic inequality is heavily implicated in both political equality and equality of opportunity, and to propose a political theory that directly addresses - rather than evades - this issue. A conclusion drawn in this …

Milking The System: Do Poor People Deserve Fresh Food?, Melanie M. Meisenheimer

SURGE

Poor Americans are all lazy, selfish people who must first prove their worth as human beings if they want to be able to feed their children.

It sounds harsh, stereotypical, and judgmental when you put it like that, and few people would feel comfortable saying that exact phrase. However, it’s a perception of poverty in America that I’ve found still has a strong grip on our way of thinking. [excerpt]

Until The Cops Come Knocking, Mauricio E. Novoa

SURGE

“Fuck the police coming straight from the underground/ A young nigga got it bad ‘cause I’m brown/ And not the other color so police think/ They have the authority to kill a minority” – Ice Cube, “Fuck Tha Police”

At some point in our lives, we have all walked down a street for some minute errand, and a few of those times we may have crossed paths with men in uniform patrolling the streets. Some who cross them may not think anything of it, but for others, they feel their eyes follow every step they take and distaste is exchanged …

The Respectability Trap: Gender Conventions In 20th Century Movements For Social Change, Georgina Hickey

Journal of Interdisciplinary Feminist Thought

An analysis of how a variety of women in 19th and 20th century movements for social change in the United States negotiated normative gender expectations in both their activism and their personal lives. While challenging norms or using traditional norms as a part of a movement tactic are both common in social movements, women leaders still sometimes found themselves in a ‘respectability trap’ when they reflexively applied the dictates of respectable behavior. In these moments, the often invisible privileges attached to the social recognition of a woman’s respectability – and implied morality – become visible. Women who eschewed traditional norms …

Fearless: Christine Serwan And Sam Holmes, Christine M. Serwan, Samuel R. Holmes

SURGE

This week, we’re recognising the fearless work that Christine Serwan ’13 and Sam Holmes ’13 will be doing over the next two years during with the Peace Corps. [excerpt]

Goffman Got Up And Moved To The Center Of The Room And Began Doing A Mime Strip-Tease, Peter Zelchenko

Bios Sociologicus: The Erving Goffman Archives

Peter Zelchenko offered this memoir based on recollections of his mother, Gladys Meirovits, and approved adding the present version to the Erving Goffman Archives.

The Legal Limits Of Racism, Chelsea E. Broe

SURGE

When I heard the news that the Food Network decided not to renew Paula Deen’s contract after she admitted to making racist comments, I was happy. Not because she used racial slurs, of course, but because she was punished for it. Maybe I’m a cynic, but I like the idea of public attention being placed on wrongdoings. That’s the whole point of having free speech, after all: to have an open dialogue wherein all possible viewpoints can be voiced, considered, challenged, and criticized until they are ultimately decided to be acceptable or unacceptable. [excerpt]

Humanitarian Diplomacy And The Need For Protecting Humanitarian Personnel In Contemporary Conflicts., Theodora Okiro

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

When considering the increasing frequency with which humanitarian aid workers are being threatened, abducted or killed, one has to question the fundamental reason for this sharp rise in statistics. Are human and aid workers merely collateral damage in a conflict? Are they getting to close to the ‘eye’ of the conflict? Or is there another explanation? Due to the increased frequency by which they come to harm’s way, the answer is much more disturbing. They are intentional targets, because of the changing scopes of modern warfare. Armed groups such as the Taliban, who are analyzed in this paper, increasingly target …

Implementing A Green Economy In Least-Developed Countries The Challenges Of Intellectual Property Rights And Technology Transfers Within The Trips Agreement, Spencer Schloss

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The world has come to a stage where technology is the crux of development and growth. Vast technological advances allow for opportunities to produce at rates more efficient than even the most prodigal of scientists could have imagined. As the world simultaneously experiences development and growth, there is an unfortunate environmental tradeoff. The same industries that lead to economic advancement are causing extreme environmental degradation and least developed countries are the ones to bear the burden.

LDCs are dependent upon natural capital as their economic survival base. If the world continues to develop without considering the detrimental impacts on LDCs, …

Bricks & Mortar: Tax Policy Swings To Those Who Rent Homes, Tom Dunne

Articles

A major change in Ireland in recent years has been the rapid fall in home ownership, down from 75pc of households in 2006 to 70pc at present.

This brings Ireland more into line with home ownership rates in the US and UK, lower than those of southern Europe but higher than the prosperous economies of northern Europe where long-term renting is very common.

In the public mind, however, this lower level of owner occupancy is seen as temporary and symptomatic of a distressed economy where buyers have difficulty obtaining mortgages and in any event are content to stand off a …

Take My People To The Top, Nadejiah Z. Towns

SURGE

“…but what I really want to do is help the black people, especially the young black girls…” Did she just say that? Wait, can she say that? Is she wrong for feeling that way? I wonder how other people would feel it they knew she felt this way? So many questions began to run through my mind, but my reaction? I just sat there, nodding. Her body language told me even she knew there was something controversial about what she was saying. Not to mention that she whispered it, you know, the old hand over the mouth gesture. [excerpt …

The Scholars' Initiative, Charles Ingrao

Purdue Policy Research Institute (PPRI) Policy Briefs

The Scholars’ Initiative addresses the need to break the cycle of nationalist discourse that perpetuates divisions between ethnic groups by (1) creating a common narrative that discredits proprietary myths, while validating “inconvenient facts” that must be acknowledged before mutual recognition and reconciliation can begin, and (2) enlisting regional media and political leaders to acknowledge (and hopefully) endorse) the existence of a common account co-authored by their own scholars.

Intimacy And Inequality: The Changing Contours Of Family Life, Richard R. Banks

Indiana Journal of Law and Social Equality

No abstract provided.

Du Chaâba À La Banlieue : Espaces Et Négation De L’Autre Chez Azouz Begag Et Thomté Ryam, Lise Mba Ekani

Présence Francophone: Revue internationale de langue et de littérature

This article concerns itself with the representations of space in the novels of Azouz Begag and Thomté Ryam. The author observes that from the chaâba to the banlieue, one can assert that the distribution of space suggests the exclusion and the negation of France’s postcolonial other. Ultimately, the article contends that if Beur fiction was pivotal in shedding light on injustice, the banlieue novel blends aesthetics and politics to call for a different France, one in which assimilation and difference can be transcended.

Samar Basi – “We Go There Together” The Local Peace Committees And Their Effect On Building Peace In Nepal, Jessica Faye Babcock

Capstone Collection

“We have ears but no hearing. We have eyes but no sight. But I hope our children do not have to go through a similar fate of ignorance.” – Kattike Nepali (Jumla)

From 1996 to 2006 Nepal experienced a horrible, civil conflict taking over 13,000 of its citizens, displaced another 25,000 with many more unaccounted for. With the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Accord in 2006, between the Government of Nepal and the Maoists insurgents, the violence ceased but the long road to recovery and peace began. Nepal is currently transitioning towards a democratic government. The establishment of a Constitutional …

Immigration And The Contours Of Nevada’S Latino Population, John P. Tuman, David F. Damore, Maria J.F. Agreda

Brookings Mountain West Publications

Since the early 1980s, Nevada has experienced significant demographic change. In particular, the ethnic composition of the state has become considerably more diverse. Although growth in the Asian population is one of the sources of Nevada’s growing diversity, Nevada’s Latino population has also accounted for much recent demographic and social change. Except for brief periods following the emergence of the Great Recession of 2008, the Latino population of Nevada has experienced sustained annual growth over the past two decades. Perhaps more important, much of the growth in the Latino population has been associated with immigration, principally from Mexico and other …