Rural Sociology Commons^™

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

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 …

On Innovation In Teaching Rural Sociology, Keiko Tanaka

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

Introduction to the special issue

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 …

Editor's Concluding Comments, D. Clayton Smith

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

Editor’s Concluding Remarks

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 …

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 …

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 …

New Hampshire's Population Exceeds Maine's For The First Time In 200 Years, Kenneth M. Johnson

Carsey Publications

For the first time in more than 200 years, the population of New Hampshire exceeded that of Maine. As of July 1, 2009, U.S. Census Bureau estimates New Hampshire's population at 1,324,575 compared to 1,318,301 in Maine. New Hampshire grew faster than Maine over the last decade. Since 2000, New Hampshire gained 89,000 new residents compared to Maine's 43,000.

Students In Rural Schools Have Limited Access To Advanced Mathematics Courses, Suzanne E. Graham

Carsey Publications

This Carsey brief reveals that students in rural areas and small towns have less access to higher-level mathematics courses than students in urban settings, which results in serious educational consequences, including lower scores on assessment tests and fewer qualified students entering science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) job pipelines.

Analysis Of Mammoth Cave Pre-Park Communities, Matthew Brunt

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Before the creation of Mammoth Cave National Park, this area was home to numerous communities, each with a sense of identity. To prepare for the creation of the National Park, all residents living within these communities were relocated, and many of these communities were lost to the passage of time. Today, public memory of these lost communities is being fostered by the descendents of the pre-park area.

Through the use of a Historical Geographic Information System, 1920 Edmonson County manuscript census data, and statistical analysis, the demographic composition of these lost communities was explored. This project not only brought to …

Rural America And The South Have The Highest Percent Of Veterans With Service-Related Disabilities, Marybeth J. Mattingly, Michelle L. Stransky

Carsey Publications

Veterans with service-related disabilities are concentrated in the American South and in rural places, this new fact sheet finds. Issued to commemorate Veterans Day (November 11), the report analyzes new data from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2008 American Community Survey, which released service-related disability data for the first time.

Rural Life Census Data Center Newsletter: South Dakota Farm Number And Size Trends, Jake Cummings, W. Trevor Brooks, Donna Hess, Diane Kayongo-Male

Census Data Center Newsletter Archive: 2007-2010

If you have ever wondered about changes in the number of farms in your state or county, the latest U.S. Census of Agriculture can help answer your questions. New Census of Agriculture information is both interesting and useful. Census of Agriculture data can be used to analyze farm trends, inform agricultural policy, and direct farm spending (2007 Census of Agriculture).

Student Discipline In New Hampshire Schools , Barbara Wauchope

Carsey Publications

A new analysis of student discipline in New Hampshire schools in the 2007–2008 school year shows that out-of-school suspension rates are higher and statewide expulsion rates are lower than the average. Schools reporting the highest rates of suspensions and expulsions are the smallest in the state and have the highest percentage of students in poverty. This brief is the first in a collaborative series between the Children's Alliance of New Hampshire and the Carsey Institute.

Demographic Trends In The Manchester-Nashua Metropolitan Area, Kenneth M. Johnson, Robert Macieski

Carsey Publications

In the city of Manchester, New Hampshire, 25 percent of children live below the poverty line, a high rate that is in stark contrast to the state's rate of just 10 percent, one of the nation's lowest. That is the most surprising finding from this new analysis of demographic trends in the Manchester-Nashua metropolitan area. The brief presents recent demographic shifts in Manchester, Nashua, and suburban Hillsborough County alongside historical perspectives of the region.

"So Long As I Can Read": Farm Women's Reading Experiences In Depression-Era South Dakota, Lisa Lindell

Hilton M. Briggs Library Faculty Publications

During the Great Depression, with conditions grim, entertainment scarce, and educational opportunities limited, many South Dakota farm women relied on reading to fill emotional, social, and informational needs. To read to any degree, these rural women had to overcome multiple obstacles. Extensive reading (whether books, farm journals, or newspapers) was limited to those who had access to publications and could make time to read. The South Dakota Free Library Commission was valuable in circulating reading materials to the state's rural population. In the 1930s the commission collaborated with the USDA's Extension Service in a popular reading project geared toward South …

Rural And Urban Children Have Lower Rates Of Health Insurance Coverage And Are More Often Covered By Public Plans, Marybeth J. Mattingly, Michelle L. Stransky

Carsey Publications

This Carsey brief looks at the geographic distribution of health insurance for children. Based on data from the 2008 American Community Survey, it includes such findings as one in ten children are still uninsured, insurance rates vary considerably by geographic area, and rural children are most likely to depend on public plans for their health care.

Regional Young Child Poverty In 2008: Rural Midwest Sees Increased Poverty, While Urban Northeast Rates Decrease, Marybeth J. Mattingly

Carsey Publications

In 2008, America's recession affected poverty rates for children under age 6 unevenly, with rates in the rural Midwest rising significantly, while rates in northeastern central cities fell slightly. And in the rural South, where more than 30 percent of young children are poor, poverty rates for young children persisted at a very high rate. This is an analysis of American Community Survey data released by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Home Care Workers: Keeping Granite Staters In Their Homes As They Age, Kristin Smith

Carsey Publications

Using data from the New Hampshire Direct Care Workforce Survey, this brief shows that New Hampshire's demand for home-based care workers outpaces supply because its population is aging at a faster rate than the average. These workers play a critical role and face many challenges, including low pay, little or no paid time off, and lack of access to health insurance.

Family-Friendly Policies For Rural Working Mothers, Rebecca K. Glauber

Carsey Publications

For working parents, family friendly work policies like paid sick days, flexible time, or medical insurance can reduce work-family conflict and lead to less absenteeism and higher productivity. Working parents in rural America, however, have less access to these policies than their urban counterparts.

The State Of Working New Hampshire 2009, Allison Churilla

Carsey Publications

The issue brief finds that while New Hampshire workers have fared well compared with other New England states, wages have stagnated and full-time workers now form a smaller share of the labor force.

The Forgotten Fifth: Child Poverty In Rural America, William P. O'Hare

Carsey Publications

One in five poor children in this country lives in a rural area. Yet this group of vulnerable young Americans is seldom on the minds of the public or policy makers when they talk about child poverty in the United States. This report highlights child poverty statistics in rural America and compares them to urban areas, discussing how they are affected by family, education, employment, and the government.

Rural Children Are More Likely To Live In Cohabiting-Couple Households, William P. O'Hare, Wendy Manning, Meredith Porter, Heidi Lyons

Carsey Publications

As cohabiting increases nationwide, new data show that the growing rate of children in these households is most pronounced in rural areas. This brief analyzes recent U.S. Census Bureau data to explore these trends and patterns.

Rural Workers More Likely To Work Nontraditional Shifts, Rogelio Saenz

Carsey Publications

Workers in rural areas have historically worked at different times of the day compared to their counterparts in urban areas, including during less traditional work periods, such as in the early morning, afternoon, and evening hours. This brief presents a snapshot of the rural workforce around the clock.

Stay Or Leave Coos County? Parents' Messages Matter, Corinna J. Tucker

Carsey Publications

When it comes to deciding whether to stay in New Hampshire's rural Coos County or leave for other opportunities, young people are listening to their parents. Surveying 78 percent of all seventh and eleventh graders in public schools in Coos County, researchers found that young peoples' future intentions to migrate from Coos in search of economic or educational opportunities or to remain in Coos to pursue a future close to home are closely aligned with the messages their parents deliver to them.

The New, Longer Road To Adulthood: Schooling, Work, And Idleness Among Rural Youth, Anastasia Snyder, Diane Mclaughlin, Alisha Coleman-Jensen

Carsey Publications

This report focuses on the education and work experiences of rural youth during the emerging adult years (age 20 to 24), as they make the transition from adolescence to adulthood. It documents how rural emerging adults combine work and school and experience idleness, closely examines their educational attainment, and compares their experiences with those in central city and suburban areas.

Rural Workers Would Benefit From Unemployment Insurance Modernization, Anne M. Shattuck

Carsey Publications

Rural workers stand to benefit from the modernization of unemployment insurance (UI) to cover part-time workers, which is an opportunity for states under the American Reinvestment and Recovery Plan (ARRA). Rural workers are more likely to work part-time, and many states that do not provide UI benefits to part-time workers have higher than average proportions of rural residents.

Seventy-Eight Percent Of Working Rural Families To Receive Full Making Work Pay Tax Credit, Marybeth J. Mattingly

Carsey Publications

The Making Work Pay Tax Credit provides eligible U.S. workers with additional money in each paycheck throughout the year. The fact sheet shows that 78 percent of rural working families will receive the full amount of the credit, while an additional 10 percent of families will receive a partial credit due to low earnings or high earnings. These tax credits, along with the expansion to the Child Tax Credit, are an important financial boost to families in rural America, particularly low-income working families.

Forty-Three Percent Of Eligible Rural Families Can Claim A Larger Credit With Eitc Expansion, Marybeth J. Mattingly

Carsey Publications

This policy brief on the changes to the Earned Income Tax Credit in the ARRA also shows that families with three or more children and married couples will receive an increased refund under these new EITC rules for tax years 2009 and 2010. Many families in urban and suburban communities will also see increased benefits under these new provisions.

Navigating The Teen Years: Promise And Peril For Northern New Hampshire Youth, Anne M. Shattuck

Carsey Publications

This report provides a snapshot of how youth are doing in Carroll, Coos, and Grafton counties and describes some of the difficulties they and their communities face as they negotiate the transition to adulthood. The study is based on data from several agencies that collect county- and community-level information about youth, as well as from interviews with individuals working with youth in each of the three counties.