Cross-Cultural Bridges : Closing The Gaps In Direct Services With Immigrant And Diverse Populations, Lucy Chen

Graduate Student Independent Studies

The shifting cultural, racial, ethnic, and linguistic makeup of the United States is expected to become more diverse in the coming decades. This has important implications for direct service professionals, including social workers and educators. An overview of culturally sensitive, responsive, and competent practices is provided for work with immigrant and diverse populations to assist professionals in the process of crossing cultural bridges, overcoming privilege, and building bridges.

Institutionalized Racism And The Death Penalty, Ashleigh Ellis

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Overtime, support for capital punishment has evolved. Compared to previous decades, support has changed amongst different variables such as: age, race, gender, and political perspective; therefore, today, these variables have changed the amount of support for it. For example, as of today, 6 states have repealed the death penalty with New Jersey being the first in 2007 to do so in 40 years. As memories of Jim Crow and the Civil Rights era have faded due to generational replacement, American society today still has this racial gap, however it is due to this racial resentment or symbolic resentment that the …

Yo Soy Latino: Does My Vote Matter?, Jonathan Charres

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

It has been said by many political scientists that the Latino population in the United States has the potential to be a huge political player in political elections, especially with their steady growing population. However, population growth is not translating into an increase of political participation. Although many studies have been made to understand why Latino political participation is low, I will take a different approach and focus on Latino political efficacy, comparing different states. Using the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) Latino National Survey, I will seek to answer whether Latinos feel more politically empowered in …

Perceptions Of Immigration In America, Manuel Cardoza

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Throughout history the United States as a nation saw many waves of immigrants who collectively shaped and helped build the America we see today. Today immigration has become a prevalent issue that is impeding progress and potentially facilitating the rise of new conflicts in a country plagued by civil injustices toward minority groups who are feeling marginalized and discriminated. Immigration desperately needs the attention of the U.S government in order to reach a solution and stop a community from being ostracized. Much of this great nation has been formed and built on the fundamental idea of immigrant forces coming together …

Voting Preference, Religion And Ethnicity’S Impact On Party Identification, Benjamin Gourley

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Voting in the Presidential election always comes down to the wire, which leads political scientists to contemplate the most efficient ways for candidates to target and seize voters. The study explores how ethnic and religious values affect a voter’s party identification. This study will identify theories of opinion formation and connect these theories to the values that religious and ethnic voters rely on when voting for a candidate. This study hypothesizes three things: first, religious groups will tend to vote for candidates that hold the same religious values. Second, Ethnic groups will tend to vote for candidates that share the …

How Disney Is "Kingdom Hearts?” A Comparison Between Disney Films And The Video Game, Andrew Vo, Kassidy Vo

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Disney is known for movies that often entail gendered morals for boys and girls. This research examines Kingdom Hearts, a video game developed by Disney and Square Enix, to show how the game has "Disney morals" that are progressive in terms of gender, race, and religion.

A Comparative Analysis Of Diversity Initiatives: Administrative Policies & Academic Curriculum, K.B. Jenny Kim

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

The object of my thesis research is to examine the existing diversity initiatives and campus climate of Chapman University and a comparative institution, Loyola Marymount University. The focus area of study will be racial/ethnic diversity within the various levels of the institution, with the primary focus on students and institutional support. The topic by nature is nuanced and complex, with interwoven layers of hierarchy and various scopes of campus climate including but not limited to: academic curriculum, co-curricular programs, availability of human resources in related expertise, and general accessibility of resources pertaining to diversity. The main objective is to examine …

Honorable Mention Research Paper: A “Land You Could Not Escape Yet Almost Didn’T Want To Leave:” Japanese American Identity In Manzanar Internment Camp Gardens, Mckenzie P. Tavoda

Kevin and Tam Ross Undergraduate Research Prize

"While prior scholarship on Japanese American Internment during World War II has been prolific, few have researched the role the natural environment played within the camps and the impact it had on the internees. Some scholars have supposed that the environment was chiefly a negative influence, like Connie Chiang, but few have studied the resourceful accomplishments of the internees in designing and cultivating gardens that reflected both their ancestral identity and contemporary American sensibility. Scholars such as Kenneth Helphand argued that the gardens were strictly an act of defiance. Others like David Neiwert lay claim to the Japanese immigrant enclave …

The Year Of Change: Challenges Faced By First Year Students Based On Individual Identities, Holly K. Millet

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

The first year of college is often a fresh start for students. For many, it is the first time away from home where students will have freedom to make their own decisions. During this year students gain new experiences, new knowledge, and a new understanding of themselves. However, it is commonly known that the transition into college is often accompanied by many challenges, including, homesickness, depression, inability to fit in, and financial instability. Often, students’ identities can influence the types of challenges they encounter throughout this transition. This study determines correlations between five social identities and challenges that first year …

#Blacklivesmatter – So Keep The Conversation Going, Vanessa Lopez-Littleton

UCF Forum

#BlackLivesMatter has become part of a symbolic movement with a powerful message. First tweeted on April 11, 2012, following the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, #BlackLivesMatter began trending heavily during protests after the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo. Three years later, it remains relevant.

Race Vs. Class: Is The Market Colorblind?, David Luke

disClosure: A Journal of Social Theory

For decades, social scientists have debated the nature of inequality in the United States. A false dichotomy of race versus class is a common way of interpreting this. This brief article provides a detailed review of some of the important literature on racial and social class equality, as well as a view of current levels of inequality and the trends exacerbated in the market failure and Great Recession of 2008. Ultimately, this review results in policy recommendations to address the gap, and challenges the claims that the various "markets" in the United States are colorblind.

Moving The Needle On Justice Reform: A Report On The American Justice Summit 2014, Daniel L. Stageman, Robert Riggs, Jonathan Gordon, Ethiraj G. Dattatreyan

Publications and Research

Executive Summary: Taking place over 5 hours during the afternoon of November 10th, 2014, in John Jay College’s Gerald W. Lynch Theater, the American Justice Summit was an unprecedented public meeting of some of the most important individuals working in contemporary criminal justice reform. The event placed these individuals in front of an audience of six hundred-odd practitioners, activists, students, elected officials, and policy professionals, in conversation with leading journalists and each other, to describe the scope and contours of the problems posed by the country’s dysfunctional and interlocking systems of criminal justice – mass incarceration, police-community relations, the system’s …

Ethnic Identity Among Maronite Lebanese In The United States, Charles H. Khachan

Theses & Dissertations

Immigration is defined as the process of moving across countries and has several effects on sending and receiving countries. Several waves of immigrants came from Lebanon to the United States starting in the late 1800s. They were expected to assimilate into the new society but ethnic faith based communities assisted them in also maintaining that their ethnic identity. The purpose of this mixed methodology study is to explore the role of the church in preserving the ethnic identity among the Maronite Lebanese immigrants in the United States. The mixed methodology study answered 3 major questions. Quantitative data were collected from …

Torch (May 2015), Brandon Baldwin, Civil Rights Team Project

Torch: The Civil Rights Team Project Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Examining The Prevalence Of Bullying Among Biracial Children In Comparison To Single-Race Children, Kristina Gamble

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Bullying is an issue that has a presence felt by individuals residing all across the United States. There is not one universal accepted definition of this problem, but the types of bullying are as diverse as the individuals who are affected. This study looks at an under researched demographic of Biracial children in comparison to single-race children and the prevalence of bullying. The study uses data from the Fragile Families and Child Well-being Study. The original study took place in 20 urban cities across America with mothers and fathers of newborns (N=4,898). This study looks at the prevalence of bullying …

Muslim Women: A Phenomenological Study Of The Effects Of Identity On Pursuing Higher Education, Rafael E. Harley

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

The purpose of this study was to examine and explore the meanings, patterns, and essence of the lived experiences of Muslim women pursuing higher education, while developing a foundation for Muslim Women's Educational Identity Theory. The goal of the study was to develop a thorough and inclusive description of how identity formation affects the pursuit of higher education in order to increase awareness and develop programs that could improve the rate of pursuit of higher education for Muslim women. The importance of lessening gender bias amongst Muslims motivated this researcher to undertake this study. The research study involved a qualitative …

The Theology And Agency Of Love As The Substance Of Kingian Non-Violent Philosophy And Activism., Matthew Quainoo

Senior Honors Projects

The theology of Love focuses on King’s understanding of God as love:

A Research Abstract (Project Summary)

Problem: Almost 50 years after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., controversy continues to swirl around the motivational forces that inspired the nonviolence approach employed by King in his fight for equality for African Americans, the economically disadvantaged and victims of injustice through peaceful protest. Some scholars argue that Kings was inspired by such advocates of nonviolence such as Mahatma Gandhi and Buddha Shakyamuni. Others believe that Dr. King’s philosophy of nonviolence was an expression of the Christian theology of God …

Missing Pieces: How Neighborhood Health Context Influences Jail Reentry, Andrew Gregg Verheek

Dissertations

This study explores how neighborhood context influences the odds of reoffending by those released from incarceration at a local jail facility. Using data from four sources, I seek to contribute to the understanding of reentry by including two factors missing from current theoretical and empirical work on inmate recidivism. First, using a social disorganization perspective, I include measures of neighborhood health to gain an understanding of how increased substance abuse, mental health, and physical health issues among neighborhood residents impede the development of social capital and informal control that are crucial to the reduction of recidivism. Additionally, I examine jail …

On The Divide: Examining Residential Segregation In Marin County, California, Felicia Burgess

Senior Theses

Today, segregation is a term rarely used or heard in public discourse, as it has been illegal in the U.S for the past 50 years. However, despite its illegalization, scholars and sociologists have noted that patterns of segregation are still a prominent feature of many U.S counties, cities and suburbs. Reflecting upon my experiences as a black woman living in an all-white community, this paper offers a critical analysis of the causes and consequences of residential segregation in Marin County, California: a county of urban and suburban communities just 20 minutes north of San Francisco. Despite its liberal image, Marin …

‘Toxification’ As A More Precise Early Warning Sign For Genocide Than Dehumanization? An Emerging Research Agenda, Rhiannon S. Neilsen

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

In genocide scholarship, dehumanization is often considered to be an alarming early warning sign for mass systematic killing. Yet, within broader research, dehumanization is found to exist in a variety of instances that do not lead to aggression or violence. This disparity suggests that while dehumanization is an important part of the genocidal process, it is too imprecise as a salient early warning sign. Genocide scholars have acknowledged such a conjecture in the past. This article initiates an embryonic research agenda that offers ‘toxification’ as a more precise early warning sign for genocide than dehumanization. It contends that while dehumanization …

Does Major League Baseball Look Like America?, Richard Lapchick

UCF Forum

The 2015 Major League Baseball Racial and Gender Report Card recently released by The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport shows the league had an A on the issue of racial hiring practices, a C/C+ for gender hiring practices, and an overall grade of B.

From “My Block” To “Born On The Rez”: A Linguistic Analysis Of Lyrics By 2pac, Frank Waln, Litefoot, Nataanii Means, And Night Shield, Teresa Y. Neely, Sarah Kostelecky, Jorge Ricardo Lopez-Mcknight, Monica Etsitty Dorame

University Libraries & Learning Sciences Faculty and Staff Publications

The lack of consistent wide-spread media coverage of recent events in North America involving violence against Native Americans and African Americans in the U.S., missing and murdered indigenous women, led the authors to a thoughtful discussion about the similar and parallel issues shared by our people. Although the deaths of Michael Brown (August 9, 2014, Ferguson, MO), Eric Garner (July 17, 2014, NY), and Sandra Bland (July 13, 2015, TX) were nationally covered news events; the deaths of Misty Upham, Blackfeet (October 5, 2014, WA); Native American activist Rexdale Henry, Choctaw (July 14, 2015, MS), and Christina Tahhahwah, Comanche (November …

An Assessment Of Affirmative Action In Business, Jordan A. Kennedy

Honors Scholar Theses

Affirmative action has become an inevitable aspect of the employment hiring process. It has been put into place to assist in eradicating the institutionalized discrimination that inherently exists in such practices. On the surface, affirmative action may appear to be something that is beneficial to both the hiring institution and the individual; it seems to be a win-win situation because the business is creating a more diverse workplace and the individual is getting a job that they desired. However, the way that affirmative action is practiced may prevent its overall effectiveness. For example, there are several fundamental flaws with this …

The Complicity Of Silence: Race And The Hamilton Holt/Corra Harris Friendship, 1899-1935, Jack C. Lane

Faculty Publications

From the perspective of the large race issue in the early twentieth century America, this article closely examines the perplexed personal relationship between Hamilton Holt, 8th president of Rollins College (1925-1949) and Corra Harris, one of Holt's original "Golden Personality" faculty members who carried the unique title of "Professor of Evil" at Rollins.

Inmigración Latina Y El Racismo En Los Estados Unidos, Robert M. Pezán

Celebrating Scholarship & Creativity Day (2011-2017)

A través de toda la historia de los Estados Unidos, hasta antes de que fuera considerado los Estados Unidos, siempre ha habido inmigrantes que han venido a esta nación en búsqueda de una vida mejor. La mayoría de la gente que actualmente vive en los Estados Unidos vive aquí gracias a sus antepasados que inmigraron a este país durante algún periodo de su vida. Aunque no todos los estadounidenses son considerados inmigrantes, sus pasadas generaciones fueron en algún momento inmigrantes y pudieron tener éxito asimilándose a la cultura que existía en el pasado. Aunque no siempre ha sido un resultado …

Good Kids, Bad City: The Examination Of Crime Resistance In Low Income, High Crime, Communities Of Color, Troy M. Williams

Theses

A number of criminological theories assert that individuals from socioeconomically disadvantaged communities are more likely to participate in criminal activities. Given the confluence of race and class in this country Black and Latino men are disproportionately represented in the criminal justice system. However, less is known about men of color who grow up in lower socioeconomic neighborhoods, but do not commit crimes. In this study, the researcher examines a group of Black men who exhibited leadership to resist assimilated criminological behavior, which is the process of participating in crime in order to be revered by peers, family, or community members. …

Exploring Microfinance For Social Capital Formation And The Empowerment Of South Asian Skilled Immigrant Women In Brantford, Ontario, Fatema Taskin Chowdhury

Social Justice and Community Engagement

No abstract provided.

Live, Learn – And Let Live, Anthony Major

UCF Forum

I grew up in a segregated community in Florida and attended supposedly “separate but equal” schools in a small town that had separate water fountains, bathrooms and even beaches, among other restrictions. We were expected to cross the street when a white woman was approaching and never look a white man in the eyes - that is if you didn’t want to appear defiant.

“Servants, Obey Your Masters”: Southern Representations Of The Religious Lives Of Slaves, Lindsey K.D. Wedow

The Gettysburg College Journal of the Civil War Era

This paper focuses on how representations of the religious lives of slaves, specifically their abilities to comprehend the Bible and flourish spiritually, became an issue that not only propelled the North and South toward the Civil War, but also perpetuated the conflict. Using original documents from the collections housed at Chicago’s Newberry Library, predominantly sermons written by proslavery ministers as well as documents published by missionary organizations, this paper explores the fierce defense of the institution of slavery mounted by proslavery Christians. Specifically, this paper’s interest is in how the representation of slaves by proslavery evangelical Christians as incapable of …

Honorable Mention Contest Entry: A “Land You Could Not Escape Yet Almost Didn’T Want To Leave:” Japanese American Identity In Manzanar Internment Camp Gardens, Mckenzie P. Tavoda

Kevin and Tam Ross Undergraduate Research Prize

This is McKenzie Tavoda's submission for the 2014-2015 Kevin and Tam Ross Undergraduate Research Prize, which won honorable mention. She wrote about Japanese American identity in the Manzanar Internment Camp gardens. You can read the final essay that came out of her research here.