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Journal of Rural Social Sciences

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Articles 211 - 240 of 467

Full-Text Articles in Rural Sociology

Nonmetropolitan Population Trends: Twenty-First Century Updates, Don E. Albrecht Apr 2010

Nonmetropolitan Population Trends: Twenty-First Century Updates, Don E. Albrecht

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

Population trends in the nonmetropolitan counties of the United States continue to be erratic. This study used 2008 population estimates to make comparisons of 2000-2008 population changes with those of the decades of the 1980s and 1990s. Findings showed that population changes during the early years of the 21st century were more reminiscent of the 1980s than the 1990s, as overall population growth was minimal and the number of counties losing population exceeded the number of counties with population growth. It appears that the first decade of the 21st century can be labeled as the “Rural Rebound Reversal” decade. The …

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Applying Craft For Sociological Practice: Place In Odyssey, George K. Floro Apr 2010

Applying Craft For Sociological Practice: Place In Odyssey, George K. Floro

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

In this presentation it is assumed that craft for sociological practice, an applied side of the discipline, could be expanded if sociologists knew how to do the craft or, if they already know, want to engage in the practice. Its potential is illustrated in one sector. The selection, when associated with decisions or action, comes out of public participation in collective life, often in the framework of an entire society or some action center in it. The name often associated with it is Sociological Imagination. An associated task is to identify “contradictions” and to explore ways to resolve them as …

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Household Food Insecurity And Depression Among Single Mothers In Rural Alabama, Andrew A. Zekeri Apr 2010

Household Food Insecurity And Depression Among Single Mothers In Rural Alabama, Andrew A. Zekeri

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

Although we live in a wealthy nation, food insecurity, whereby individuals and families have limited or uncertain access to food due to lack of financial resources, continues to affect millions of American families. The objective of this study was twofold: to determine the prevalence of food insecurity among single mothers in rural Alabama; and to determine the extent to which food insecurity is associated with depression. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 300 single mothers living in five rural counties in Alabama using the U.S. Household Food Security Survey Module and Center for Epidemiologic Study of Depression (CES-D) scale. About 36% …

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Economic Restructuring And Education In The Nonmetropolitan United States, Don E. Albrecht, Carol Mulford Albrecht Apr 2010

Economic Restructuring And Education In The Nonmetropolitan United States, Don E. Albrecht, Carol Mulford Albrecht

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

Nonmetropolitan communities in the United States have historically depended on natural resources industries and manufacturing for their employment and sustenance. In recent decades, the number of jobs in these goods-producing industries has steadily declined, and this trend is likely to continue. The loss of goods producing jobs has been offset by increased employment in the service sector. A prominent concern resulting from this economic structure transformation is the impending mismatch in the education and skills of nonmetro workers and the education and skills needed to obtain high quality employment in the service sector. The data presented in this manuscript show …

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Rural Leadership And Legacy: Partnering For Progress, Patricia Hyjer Dyk Dec 2009

Rural Leadership And Legacy: Partnering For Progress, Patricia Hyjer Dyk

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

Presidential address delivered at the annual meeting of the Southern Rural Sociological Association, Orlando, FL, February 6, 2006

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Taking The Sustainable Agriculture Challenge: Recontextualizing Rural Sociology, Betty L. Wells Dec 2009

Taking The Sustainable Agriculture Challenge: Recontextualizing Rural Sociology, Betty L. Wells

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

Agroecosystems Analysis (SusAg 509), a required course for all majors in Iowa State University’s Graduate Program in Sustainable Agriculture, provides an immersion experience in the situated challenges of sustainable agriculture. The field portion of SusAg 509, which takes place every year during the first two weeks of August, brings students face-to-face with different understandings of sustainability and the diverse complexity of Midwestern agriculture. Dialogue and reflection turn the raw stuff of experience into learning, as students discover the power and validity of multiple perspectives. More than two dozen site visits help make abstract concepts, such as the economy and social …

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On Innovation In Teaching Rural Sociology, Keiko Tanaka Dec 2009

On Innovation In Teaching Rural Sociology, Keiko Tanaka

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

Introduction to the special issue

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Paradoxical Perceptions Of Problems Associated With Unconventional Natural Gas Development, Gene L. Theodori Dec 2009

Paradoxical Perceptions Of Problems Associated With Unconventional Natural Gas Development, Gene L. Theodori

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

Data collected in a general population survey from a random sample of individuals in two counties located in the Barnett Shale region of Texas were used to empirically explore potentially problematic issues associated with unconventional natural gas development. Moderate support was found for the hypothesis that individuals residing in places with diverse levels of energy development exhibit dissimilar perceptions of potentially problematic issues. The results indicate residents of the county where the natural gas industry was more mature (Wise County) were significantly more likely than residents of the county where the natural gas industry was less established (Johnson County) to …

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Editor's Concluding Comments, D. Clayton Smith Dec 2009

Editor's Concluding Comments, D. Clayton Smith

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

Editor’s Concluding Remarks

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Model Learning Outcomes For Introductory Rural Sociology: A Proposal And Rationale, Jennifer Steele Dec 2009

Model Learning Outcomes For Introductory Rural Sociology: A Proposal And Rationale, Jennifer Steele

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

While rural sociologists have demonstrated their commitment to sharing ideas about teaching approaches and methods, they have given less systematic attention to the content of introductory rural sociology and its connections to the field’s mission of improving rural well-being. The purpose of this note is to make a case for developing model learning outcomes for introductory rural sociology and to present an organizing framework and sample outcomes for initiating discussion. First, a rationale for using learning outcomes as the means of sharing professional expectations is presented. Next, the methods used to arrive at a proposed organizational framework are described. It …

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Assessing Introductory Rural Sociology, Joseph F. Donnermeyer, Benjamin Gray Dec 2009

Assessing Introductory Rural Sociology, Joseph F. Donnermeyer, Benjamin Gray

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

This article reports on the results of an assessment of an introductory rural sociology course offered at two land-grant universities, which are very different in size. These institutions are North Carolina A&T State University and The Ohio State University. The authors use similar assessment tools, including an embedded pre and post test of knowledge gained, students’ written comments to open-ended questions administered at the end of term about the quality of the class and the instructors, and the traditional, standardized Student Evaluation of Instruction, an instrument used across many universities. In addition, at OSU, a small group diagnostic of students …

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The Mobile Bay Watershed Project: An Experiment In Collaborative Learning About The Social Construction Of Environmental And Natural Resource Problems, Michelle Worosz Dec 2009

The Mobile Bay Watershed Project: An Experiment In Collaborative Learning About The Social Construction Of Environmental And Natural Resource Problems, Michelle Worosz

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

A collaborative research project was developed for a multidisciplinary class of advanced undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in Sociology of Natural Resources and the Environment. The goals of the project were to determine the feasibility of offering an experiential learning opportunity and to explore its usefulness in enhancing students’ thinking about the social constructedness of natural resource and environmental (NRE) problems. The context was the Mobile Bay watershed, which is the site of a variety of concerns such as land use, pollution, and habitat destruction. To explore these types of problems, students completed a series of assignments including a media …

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Sharing Water Internationally, Past, Present And Future—Mexico And The United States, John M. Donahue, Irene J. Klaver Apr 2009

Sharing Water Internationally, Past, Present And Future—Mexico And The United States, John M. Donahue, Irene J. Klaver

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

Conflicts over the sharing of the Rio Grande/Rio Bravo and Colorado Rivers between the United States and Mexico are usually understood in spatial terms. In this paper we argue for the need to add a temporal horizon. A larger historical context will reveal that water management, including water allocation and river politics, has always been influenced by larger social-political and cultural frameworks. These temporal shifts are sequential, but overlapping so that current policies as cultural constructs operate within the framework of previous treaty obligations though the historical contexts have changed. The Rio Grande/Rio Bravo is still defined as a border …

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One Decade Of Drought And Two Of Neoliberal Reforms In The Sierra Sonorense: Responses By The Rural Poor, Marcela Vásquez-León Apr 2009

One Decade Of Drought And Two Of Neoliberal Reforms In The Sierra Sonorense: Responses By The Rural Poor, Marcela Vásquez-León

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

Since the mid-1990s, Northwest Mexico has been experiencing drought conditions. As Mexico’s number one irrigator, the state of Sonora’s agricultural sector is particularly concerned about the availability and distribution of surface and ground water. Drought has contributed to a sharp decline in cultivated area, the abandonment of land, and permanent out migration of a large sector of the rural population. This paper examines the vulnerability to drought of small farmers in the Santa Cruz and Magadalena basins, south of the Sonora-Arizona international border. Farmers’ ability to respond to drought is considered within the larger context of neoliberal reform policies, social …

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Local Leaders’ Perceptions Of Energy Development In The Barnett Shale, Brooklynn J. Anderson, Gene L. Theodori Apr 2009

Local Leaders’ Perceptions Of Energy Development In The Barnett Shale, Brooklynn J. Anderson, Gene L. Theodori

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

In recent decades, the production of natural gas from unconventional reservoirs (i.e., tight gas sands, coalbed methane resources, and gas shales) has become commonplace within the U.S. energy industry. The Newark East Fort Worth Basin field–called in the vernacular, the Barnett Shale–in north-central Texas is one of the largest unconventional natural gas fields (by production volume) in the United States. Unlike many conventional energy development projects, which typically occurred in small rural areas, much of the Barnett Shale production is occurring in and around a highly urbanized geographical setting. In spite of recent efforts to assess the economic effects of …

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Quantile Regression: An Education Policy Research Tool, Edward B. Reeves, Jesse Lowe Apr 2009

Quantile Regression: An Education Policy Research Tool, Edward B. Reeves, Jesse Lowe

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

Ordinary least squares regression is often used in education policy research. Unfortunately, OLS regression coefficients may mislead. In OLS models, the coefficients express the conditional mean relations among the variables. Still, what if this estimate of central tendency in the conditional distribution fails to convey important information about the distribution? Quantile regression is a statistical technique that allows variation in the conditional distribution to be examined. Therefore, it can be used to check the validity and applicable range of OLS coefficients. Following the method of Koenker and Hallock (2001), we compare OLS and quantile regression results, examining variables related to …

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Occupational Aspirations, Rural To Urban Migration, And Intersectionality: A Comparison Of White, Black, And Hispanic Male And Female Group Chances For Leaving Rural Counties, W. Trevor Brooks, Meredith Redlin Apr 2009

Occupational Aspirations, Rural To Urban Migration, And Intersectionality: A Comparison Of White, Black, And Hispanic Male And Female Group Chances For Leaving Rural Counties, W. Trevor Brooks, Meredith Redlin

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

It has been documented that not all rural residents are leaving rural counties equally. Social positions may prevent some groups from migrating, while pushing other groups away from rural counties. This paper uses an intersectionality theoretical approach to explain how race/ethnicity, gender, and class shape occupational aspirations and the migration decision. Using the NLSY79, race/ethnicity, gender, and mothers’ educational attainment were each combined with the respondent’s occupational aspiration to predict migration rates for selected intersectional groups. Results show that females with high occupational aspirations, whites with high occupational aspirations, and individuals with high occupational aspirations whose mothers had high educational …

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Cafos, Culture, And Conflict On Sand Mountain: Framing Rights And Responsibilities In Appalachian Alabama, Zachary Henson, Conner Bailey Apr 2009

Cafos, Culture, And Conflict On Sand Mountain: Framing Rights And Responsibilities In Appalachian Alabama, Zachary Henson, Conner Bailey

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

This paper presents a case study of controversy associated with large confined animal feed operations (CAFOs) on Sand Mountain in the northeast corner of Alabama, the tail-end of the Appalachian Mountains. We examine competing cultural frames developed by supporters and opponents of CAFOs that produce hogs. Both sides of the CAFO controversy utilize locally-specific cultural understandings of private property. Those opposed have framed their concerns both in terms of formal environmental standards of regulatory agencies and the responsibility of landowners not to engage in activities that adversely affect neighboring land owners. CAFO operators have framed the issue by drawing upon …

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Environmental Issues On The Mexico-U.S. Border: An Introduction, Rogelio Sáenz, Karen Manges Douglas Apr 2009

Environmental Issues On The Mexico-U.S. Border: An Introduction, Rogelio Sáenz, Karen Manges Douglas

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

The Mexico-U.S. border is one of the most dynamic regions in the world and represents one of the greatest economic contrasts between the developed and developing world. The construction of policies and programs such as the Border Industrialization Program (BIP) and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has been primarily responsible for massive population growth and industrialization along the Mexico-U.S. border region. Such changes have also placed tremendous pressures on the environment and natural resources spanning the international boundary. This article provides an introduction and a description of the context for the articles featured in this special issue related …

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Southerner And Irish? Regional And Ethnic Consciousness In Savannah, Georgia, William L. Smith Apr 2009

Southerner And Irish? Regional And Ethnic Consciousness In Savannah, Georgia, William L. Smith

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

This paper attempts to answer the following question regarding regional and ethnic consciousness: Does southern identity vary by the level of ethnic identity one professes? Less than one-third of those who identified themselves as southerners, indicate that their identity as a southerner is much more important than their other identities including their ethnic identity. Some of these respondents practice a symbolic regionalism. Ethnic identity for most of the respondents is more important than their regional identity, although for them southerner and Irish are not mutually exclusive identities. The strength of ethnic identity is not significantly related to the importance of …

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"To Come Of Age In A Dry Place": Infrastructures Of Irrigated Agriculture In The Mexico-U.S. Borderlands, Casey Walsh Apr 2009

"To Come Of Age In A Dry Place": Infrastructures Of Irrigated Agriculture In The Mexico-U.S. Borderlands, Casey Walsh

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

In the Mexico-U.S. borderlands the social uses of water are changing as the focus of the economy shifts slowly from agriculture to industry and services. This article discusses the changes to the physical and social infrastructures erected during the first half of the twentieth century to support a regime of accumulation based in irrigated cotton. Infrastructure is proposed as a particularly useful concept for drawing connections between these social, economic, and cultural changes, and emphasizing their materiality. The article draws upon the Social Structures of Accumulation and Regulation School literatures to explain the dynamics revealed through historical and ethnographic research …

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Durkheim Did Not Say "Normlessness": The Concept Of Anomic Suicide For Introductory Sociology Courses, Phyllis Puffer Apr 2009

Durkheim Did Not Say "Normlessness": The Concept Of Anomic Suicide For Introductory Sociology Courses, Phyllis Puffer

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

The definitions of anomic suicide presented in introductory sociology textbooks from 1996 to 2007 were compared with the definition given by Durkheim in his own writings both in the original French and the English translation. It was found that only one textbook correctly gave Durkheim’s own definition while the other definitions showed little or no relationship to the original concept. The original concept was based on an analysis of the economy, more particularly the business cycle, and refers only to the structure of society and not to the mental state of the individual. An attempt is made to discover the …

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A Social Currency Approach To Improving Health-Related Quality Of Life For Migrant Workers, Alfonso Morales Apr 2009

A Social Currency Approach To Improving Health-Related Quality Of Life For Migrant Workers, Alfonso Morales

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

This ten-week pilot study promoted health-related quality of life among migrant workers in rural New Mexico. In cooperation with local organizations, migrant workers formed the organization Nuevos Amigos. Members provided various types of social support to each other, hours were enumerated and exchanged for cash to pay health-related quality-of-life expenses. The program was funded by grant funds from HRSA and administered in cooperation with a clinic and a nearby university. Intake and other interviews, observations of members in action, and spending practices provided data to evaluate the program. The pilot program showed that migrant workers could manage their own organization, …

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The Political Ecology Of The Colonias On The U.S.-Mexico Border: Human-Environmental Challenges And Community Responses In Southern New Mexico, Guillermina G. Núñez-Mchiri Apr 2009

The Political Ecology Of The Colonias On The U.S.-Mexico Border: Human-Environmental Challenges And Community Responses In Southern New Mexico, Guillermina G. Núñez-Mchiri

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

Economic development and population growth along the U.S.-Mexico border have been determined by the natural resources available for the physical and social transformations in this region. A critical political ecology of the U.S.-Mexico border links environmental hazards with the socioeconomic and political aspects that have generated colonia population settlements as locales within the border region’s spatialized hierarchies. The political ecological approach to community development processes also brings in the larger border issues associated with Mexico and the United States. By exploring human-environmental challenges facing colonia residents, we can gain valuable insights into ecological vulnerabilities also faced by similar population settlements …

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Toward A Rural Critical Criminology, Joseph F. Donnermeyer, Walter Dekeseredy Dec 2008

Toward A Rural Critical Criminology, Joseph F. Donnermeyer, Walter Dekeseredy

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

A review of the extant literature reveals a recent growth in critical criminological analyses of rural crime and societal reactions to it. Nevertheless, rural critical criminology is still in a state of infancy and requires much more development. Thus, heavily influenced by Taylor, Walton, and Young’s(1973) path-breaking book The New Criminology and by research on woman abuse in rural communities, the main objective of this article, then, is twofold: (1) to describe the key reasons for a more fully developed rural critical criminology and (2) to outline some of its key elements. Also included in this article is a brief …

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Making Methamphetamine, Ralph Weisheit Dec 2008

Making Methamphetamine, Ralph Weisheit

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

In many parts of the U.S. methamphetamine production remains a serious problem despite efforts to restrict access to precursor chemicals. Methamphetamine laboratories are a particular issue in rural areas, where many essential chemicals are available and where a lower population density means that noxious fumes are less likely to be noticed. This paper shows how the problem emerged and changed over time and includes: Early production in the U.S., the spread of meth production, the process of making meth, precursor control efforts, superlabs versus small local operations, health risks, contaminated lab sites, and children found in methamphetamine lab sites.

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Special Issue Editors' Notes, Daniel W. Phillips Iii, Steven F. Hundersmarck Dec 2008

Special Issue Editors' Notes, Daniel W. Phillips Iii, Steven F. Hundersmarck

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

Special Issue Editors' Notes

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Commercial And Farm Vehicle Theft In Urban And Rural Australia, Hedyeh Hedayati Dec 2008

Commercial And Farm Vehicle Theft In Urban And Rural Australia, Hedyeh Hedayati

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

The aim of this research was to identify the extent of commercial and farm vehicle theft in Australia and to explore the theft profile of these vehicles in urban and rural areas. The research was conducted using data from the National ComprehensiveAuto-theft Research System (CARS) database. The database holds police data on all motor vehicle thefts and vehicle registration data from all Australian states and territories. While passenger vehicle and light commercial vehicle (PLC) theft in Australia has decreased significantly since 2001, theft of commercial and farm vehicles has remained constant. Nonetheless, theft of commercial and farm vehicles in rural …

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Violent And Criminal Behaviors In Rural And Non-Rural African American Youth: A Risk-Protective Factor Approach, Elizabeth Trejos-Castillo, Alexander T. Vazsonyi, Dusty D. Jenkins Dec 2008

Violent And Criminal Behaviors In Rural And Non-Rural African American Youth: A Risk-Protective Factor Approach, Elizabeth Trejos-Castillo, Alexander T. Vazsonyi, Dusty D. Jenkins

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

Once believed to be a poor inner city neighborhood characteristic, youth violence and crime are now recognized as problems in rural areas as well (Osgood and Chambers 2000). Studies on their etiology remain scarce, particularly with a focus on minority youth. Given the importance of individual characteristics and a positive future orientation (educational aspirations) during adolescence, the current study tested a riskprotective factor approach with measures of risk proneness, self-esteem, educational commitment, and educational expectations to predict both direct and “indirect” measures of violence and criminal behaviors (assault, encounters with law enforcement, and court appearances) in samples of rural (n=687) …

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Illegal Dumping: Large And Small Scale Littering In Rural Kentucky, Kenneth D. Tunnell Dec 2008

Illegal Dumping: Large And Small Scale Littering In Rural Kentucky, Kenneth D. Tunnell

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

Illegal dumping, a social problem greatly affecting some rural states, occurs at both the large and small scale as open dump sites and roadside trash. Focusing on Kentucky, a rural state without mandatory trash pickup and a per capita income below and a poverty rate above the national average, this photo essay describes the dumping and littering problem. As is shown, legislative and executive initiatives have made some inroads in large-scale clean up. Some local governments, however, appear apathetic about addressing illegal dumping in their own communities. Kentucky’s litter problem is showing few signs of improvement and roadside littering seemingly …

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