Sociology of Culture Commons^™

"Does This Thesis Make My Behind Look Big?" A Master's Thesis Using Qualitative Research To Examine Clothing As A Communication Tool, Lynne Forth

Masters Theses

The purpose of this narrative research study is to discover and understand what and how clothing communicates by using carefully selected individuals as studied in their natural environment. The study utilized Geert Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions Theory, which is based on in-depth research and analysis of cultures across the globe and what aspects define each culture. In order to understand clothing as a communication tool, the researcher interviewed participants from both American and Dutch cultures. Many books, articles and the above mentioned interviews were utilized to gain a more in-depth understanding of clothing as a form of communicating and how this …

Nurturing A Culture Of Conviction: Developing The Arts Is A Critical Means Of Building S’Pore’S Resilience, Su Fern Hoe

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Singapore celebrates its 50th year of independence next year, but what it means to beSingaporean continues to be a topic of discussion and debate.Of late, there have been passionate reactions to criticism of Singapore from those in ourmidst, Singaporeans and foreigners alike. To counter British writer Charlotte Ashton’slabelling of Singapore as suffering from a “massive compassion deficit”, bloggers andletter writers to the media cited examples of people giving up their seats to those in needon the MRT or going the extra mile to help strangers.

Fearless: Emily Zeller, Emily I. Zeller

SURGE

Finding unique, powerful, and innovative ways to combine her love of music, her passion for social justice, and her Jewish faith on and off campus, Emily Zeller ’14 fearlessly serves members of the community through the passions that most deeply motivate her.

Emily serves as the president of the Hillel group on campus and is excited about the new opportunities that Hillel has had this year, such as bringing in a student rabbi to lead services (this year was the first time that a rabbi had been brought in specifically to hold services for students on campus during the High …

Victimization, Separatism And Anti-Intellectualism: An Empirical Analysis Of John Mcwhorter's Theory On African American's Low Academic Performance, Marlon Dewayne Marion

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to test John McWhorter's theory on African American academic underachievement. The theory claims that since the 1960's African American identities have been significantly influenced by beliefs of victimization and anti-intellectualism along with values of separatism. In order to test for the existence of these dimensions in African American's thinking and for their relationship to academic achievement, data from the Maryland Adolescence Development In Context Study (MADICS) were used. Findings indicated that victimization, separatism and anti-intellectualism have a causal relationship and that sentiments of victimization are found to be significantly higher among African Americans. A …

What The Phub?, Kendall T. Wolf

SURGE

“Nobody talks to each other anymore.” When my grandfather said this as we sped down the highway, I wondered what to make of it. Is he simply being a negative elderly man, or is there some truth to the statement? Considering that I had been trying to tune out his questions with my headphones the whole drive, I guess I deserved some type of scolding. As his questions were repeated, my mother pointed out to my grandfather that I could not hear him, to which he shook his head and said, “Nobody talks to each other anymore.” Finally, I put …

Studying Abroad, Toilet Paper, And Other Exercises In Missing The Point, Rashida Aluko-Roberts

SURGE

I have been in Ghana only for a few days, and I can already tell I am going to love the place­—the people, the food, the environment, all remind me of my home country, Sierra Leone.

However, I don’t think I can adjust to the constant uttering by some of my peers about how this experience “makes them appreciate how much they have.” In the past four days, I have heard that same phrase over and over again. [excerpt]

What Happens After The One-Child Policy?, Singapore Management University

Perspectives@SMU

The option to have multiple children could transform China’s economy.

“Chicks Be Like”: Masculinity, Femininity, And Gendered Double Standards In Youth Peer Cultures On Social Media, Brooke Dinsmore

Sociology Honors Papers

In the midst of a social panic over youth’s social media use, little attention has been given to youth’s voices and perspectives. Adult perspectives on gendered issues of cyberbullying and sexualized performance have completely ignored youth’s agency in constructing and performing gender on social media. While a body of literature on how youth construct femininity on social media has emerged, little qualitative work has been done addressing masculinity, looking at the comparatively at the construction of both masculinity and femininity or looking at how youth critically evaluate gendered performances. This study explores how youth both construct and evaluate gendered performances …

The Changes In Mainland Chinese Families During The Social Transition: A Critical Analysis, Anqi Xu, Yan Ruth Xia

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

Modernization theory offers possible explanations for family changes related to advances in science and technology, and socio-economic development in industrial societies. Modernization impacts family structure, relationship, values and beliefs. Families become nuclear while people become mobile and the society becomes urban. Economic development provides employment opportunities outside the birthplace. Away from kinship network, a nuclear family is less influenced and controlled by elder members in the extended family in fulfilling its traditional roles and obligations (Parsons, 1943). The changes occur in all societies although they may vary in pace across societies (Goode, 1982). Modernization theory is criticized for valuing Western …

Family Policy In China: A Snapshot Of 1950–2010, Yan Ruth Xia, Haiping Wang, Anh Do, Shen Qin

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

The Chinese family policies are shaped by the country’s political, socioeconomic, and cultural contexts and have evolved over the years. China has passed its most significant family policies and laws in marriage; child rearing; child, women, and elderly protection; family planning; and health care in the past 60 years. This chapter will cover the most important laws and policies that affect Chinese families from 1950 to 2010. The discussion focuses on policy development, implementation and analysis, and the challenges China faces in relation to these policy issues.

Head Start And Child Care Providers’ Motivators, Barriers And Facilitators To Practicing Family-Style Meal Service, Dipti A. Dev, Katherine E. Speirs, Brent A. Mcbride, Sharon M. Donovan, Karen Chapman-Novakofski

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

This paper presents a qualitative investigation of the motivators, barriers, and facilitators for practicing family-style meal service (FSMS) from the perspective of 18 child care providers serving preschool children in Head Start (HS), Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) funded, and non-CACFP child-care centers. Providers were selected based on maximum variation purposive sampling and semi-structured interviews were conducted until saturation was reached. Provider responses were systematically coded using thematic analysis. HS and CACFP providers reported being motivated to practice FSMS because it created pleasant mealtimes, opportunities to role model healthy eating, and healthful child development. CACFP and non-CACFP providers …

Contextualising The New National Narrative: Building On The Social And Emotional Capital Of Singaporeans, Tong Yee

Social Space

Singapore commemorates 50 years of nationhood in 2015. What’s next? Tong Yee discusses how understanding and building on the social and emotional capital in our people can direct us towards building a new inclusive narrative for the nation.

Les Villes Jumelées: Finding Bowling Green A Francophone Sister City, Sarah Kinnicutt

Student Research Conference Select Presentations

No abstract provided.

An Exploration Of The Role Of Food Tourism In Sustaining Cultural Authenticity In Ireland, Lisa O'Riordan, Dr. Aisling Ward

Irish Business Journal

Authenticity is often a motivating factor for tourists. In many situations what occurs, however, is staged authenticity. Food is one of the few entities left that indicates true cultural authenticity. Food can bridge the gap between tourists and their understanding of and involvement in a place. Native cultures that are struggling to preserve their heritage and ways of life from globalising forces can use food as a defensive mechanism. This paper is part of a wider postgraduate study on food tourism and culture so will focus on the research completed to date, mainly the literature reviewed as well as initial …

Cultural Appropriation Of The Plains Native American Headdress In The 21st Century By Middle-To-Upper Class American Non-Indians, Marisa Wood

UROP Posters

My research addresses the cultural appropriation of the Plains’ Native American headdress by middle to upper class American non-Indians belonging to the hipster subculture. The hipster subculture appropriates minority cultures while also receiving the benefits of the majority culture to which they belong. The hipster subculture is influenced by a generally limited knowledge of Native American culture and the trends pressed by corporations. Native Americans also contribute to stereotype continuation in order to make money.

I reviewed six journal articles addressing culture appropriation in fashion, spirituality and stereotypes as well as six journal articles addressing the relationship between identity and …

Environmental Sustainability, Cultural Awareness, And Personal Growth: A Short-Term Study Abroad Program Design For The University Of Colorado, Boulder, Jana K. Howlett

Capstone Collection

The University of Colorado (CU), as with many academic institutions in the United States, has seen a consistent increase in the number of students opting for short-term study abroad programs. A growing concern in the field of international education is whether it is possible for students to mature in cultural competence from such a short time spent abroad. In an initiative to deliberately increase students’ intercultural growth during short-term excursions, Global Seminar: Environmental Sustainability and Cross-Culture Contact in Costa Rica (GSCR) proposes a program that implements two new aspects to CU’s study abroad options: a course-linked program and an …

Spectacles Of Reform: Theater And Activism In Nineteenth-Century America By Amy E. Hughes (Review), Jocelyn Buckner

Theatre Faculty Articles and Research

In Spectacles of Reform Amy Hughes advocates for “spectacle as methodology” (4), a means of interpreting spectacle in nineteenth-century melodrama, as well as a wide variety of other media, that rehearses and reforms concepts of citizenship and identity related to race, class, gender, and morality. Through this lens, Hughes seeks to answer the questions “where and how do activist spectacles appear before and beyond the theatrical encounter?” and “why is spectacle kept alive through reinvention, revision, and repetition long after the drama is over?” (5). Hughes traces her theory of the spectacular instant through three popular sensation themes of the …

The Gender Continuum: Analysing Constructions Of Masculinity Across The Situational Contexts Of Consumption And Leisure Practices, Deirdre Duffy

Conference papers

This paper draws upon Foucauldian theory and considers Eric Anderson's (2009) more recent inclusive masculinity theory to explore how young Irish men construct their masculine identities and come to know themselves through their engagement with consumption and leisure practices. Locating the subject within influential discursive regimes allows for the consideration of identity construction as interconnected with one’s lived existence in the social world. This paper focuses on two practices: national sport and fashionable self-presentation. My findings show how new patterns of power relationships gradually develop, cultivating new constructions of masculinity. However, and challenging Anderson’s emancipatory tone of inclusive masculinities as …

Exploring Customer Contexts: How A Communitarian Business Model Enables Meaningful Customer Relationships, Deirdre Duffy

Conference papers

Broadly this study explores the individual’s constructions of identity as situated within historically and locally particular cultural practices. Following this approach facilitates a better understanding of how consumers negotiate the world around them. In turn this provides marketers with valuable insights that better equip them to engage with their customers. The subject matter is the male consumer engaging in bodywork practices to construct a desired body type. The subjects are situated within two discursive regimes: practices of self-presentation and national sport. Moreover, looking across these contexts reveals situational differences that contribute further to managerial decision-making, helping build stronger customer relationships.

The Suppression Of Hooliganism And The Rise Of The English Premier League, Clarie Etter

Honors Program Theses and Research Projects

The history of English football is intertwined with the history of violence among fans. This violence has evolved as the game, and cultures have changed. This violence is better known as hooliganism. Modern hooliganism is commonly recognized as having its beginnings in the 1960's and became particularly violent and common place in the 1980's. This violence caused many injuries, property damage, and even death in what came to be known as the English disease. After over a decade of this violence marring the game, hooliganism began to be taken more seriously by the European football leagues, authorities, and all those …