The sexuality of people with mental disabilities deserves the same degree of education and programming that any other group may receive. Because of misconceptions about the sexuality of this population and how those misconceptions can affect available programming, I work to discover how professionals in the field are fulfilling the need. By conducting detailed secondary evaluations of two available curricula, I decipher important topics of instruction, methods of teaching these topics, and the perceived effectiveness of each program. The ESCAPE program focuses primarily on preventing abuse for women with mental retardation, while Responsible Choices for Sexuality addresses a spectrum of individuals and issues including support persons’ involvement in encouraging safe and appropriate behavior. Each program addresses slightly different audiences and content areas, and each proves to contribute to the knowledge and behavior of the individuals they serve. However, neither program is truly comprehensive nor able to fully address sexuality for all individuals with mental disabilities, so future research would include recommendations and the creation of a truly comprehensive and adaptable program.

This research examines why veterans are overrepresented in the homeless population. To understand this overrepresentation, four interviews were conducted with professionals who work in social service organizations and/or with veterans. Other sources of data included three documentaries, online videos of veteran testimonies, newspaper reports, a book of poetry written by veterans, and governmental documents on programs to address homelessness. The data suggest that the services provided to homeless veterans are inadequate and that more outreach is needed. The research also suggests that there is a stigma associated with being homeless. Veterans often suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, which can lead to unemployment and homelessness. This research is important because new initiatives are being taken by the federal government to end homelessness among veterans in five years. More research will be needed to examine the effectiveness of the new governmental initiatives to address issues such as service availability, outreach, societal stigma, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other factors among veterans.

Infant feeding, as an interdisciplinary topic, is a critical global health issue that touches a wide range of health consequences. Breastfeeding has mutual benefits for maternal and infant health and survival and is considered the optimal infant feeding practice by WHO and UNICEF. In this research, I investigated whether women still breastfeed in China and to identify the most recent trends vis-à-vis popular perceptions of breastfeeding culture in urban China since the 1980s. I hypothesized that a neoliberal discourse has shaped a marked decline in the rate of breastfeeding significantly in urban China. I conducted interviews with Chinese mothers and breastfeeding advocates from La Leche League, and analyzed both primary and secondary documents published in China and internationally by drawing upon neoliberalism, socialist feminism and double-bind theories to relate the macro-level and micro-level (international, national, local, and individual) factors that affect Chinese women’s choices. I found that Chinese mothers are “trapped” in three “double-binds” when making decisions about infant feeding: (1) the contradictory socio-cultural images of infant formula and breast milk under the influence of aggressive marketing in a neoliberal state; (2) the hardly reconcilable goals of fulfilling “traditional” responsibilities of motherhood at home vs. gaining independence and keeping up with career aspirations in workplace; (3) the intricate and dilemmatic situation of following guidance by medical professionals vs. insisting their own choices of breastfeeding. In the end, I reflected on my research experience, proposed suggestions for breastfeeding advocacy, especially for La Leche League Shanghai, envisioned a feminist health care, and issued a call for action to question the manufacturing of infant formulas. I hope my research can serve as a useful model to study maternal and infant health.

 

Throughout my literature review on my topic many believe that the institute of restaveks is prevalent in Haiti because it is stricken by poverty (Restavek Freedom Foundation 2011).  I believe that poverty is a component to a much larger and complex reason for this phenomenon. It is a result of cultural diffusion and the change of mode of production in the Haitian society. My senior research focuses on the cultural diffusion of child fosterage to Haiti from Africa.  This once benign institution has evolved into modern day slavery for Haitian children. I argue in this paper that with time the forces of a new mode of production for Africans in Haiti, namely capitalistic economic production, has twisted the culture of child fosterage. Interviewees with Haitian immigrants in Boston Massachusetts were conducted to explore the current social norms and traditions surrounding Restavèks in Haiti. Themes were constructed based on the similarities that were observed within literature and some interviewees’ testimonies about the social status and treatment of Restavèks. This topic is important because nearly 300,000 children are suffering from abuse and slavery and not many recognize the topic as a social issue. It is more important now than ever before to recognize one of Haiti’s age-old social problems because life for these children has gotten tragically worse since the 2010 earthquake.

Dental health is essential for a healthy body and overall well-being, yet the poorest people do not have access to dental health services.  Working along with A Ministry of Sharing (AMOS) Health and Hope, a study was done in two rural communities in Nicaragua to be able to find an effective dental health intervention that could be modeled for rural communities.  76 mothers and 149 children participated in a Community-Based Participatory Research study.  Knowledge and Practices Surveys were employed along with oral examinations to provide quantitative data.  Along with this, focus groups and the use of the Photovoice method was also used for the qualitative data.  The importance of community participation in the involvement of dental health services provides evidence of the type of intervention needed for rural communities in Nicaragua.

The intention of this research was to better understand the contraception choices of women living in the United States who are from Mexico origin. Acculturation theory is used as the foundation of this study, as it is often used to situate the medical practices of different immigrant communities. The number of Mexican immigrants in this country continues to increase, creating a collision of traditional and western medicinal practices. Thus, through the application of acculturation theories, contemporary studies have sought to understand why or why not women of Mexican origin are choose biomedical birth control options. In this study, a meta-analysis of six modern research articles revealed similarities in conceptualizations of acculturation; four of the six determined acculturation level through language preference, one used its own model, and the last excluded acculturation from its study. The latter was the only article that linked infrequent use of birth control to poverty.

Tourism, though one of the largest and fastest growing industries in the world, has many negative impacts that bring its practices into question.  Especially when viewed alongside the modern realities of globalization and climate change, more sustainable initiatives, such as ecotourism, are being launched across the globe.  Through a comparative study of three projects of ecotourism in the Brazilian Amazon, the possibilities, processes, and implications of these initiatives are assessed.  This comparison is conducted using data collected via secondary literature, evaluative literature, and a general review of the organizations and programs with available resources.  Many of these projects, and specifically the three addressed in this study, are located in indigenous areas and place particular attention on the host communities.  This focus on the community and community involvement within ecotourism initiatives is found to have major effects on the outcome and success of these tourism projects. 

A great discrepancy exists between the popularity of adult entertainment in present-day America and the negative attitude towards adult entertainers that exists in the very same culture. Exotic dance is one form of adult entertainment that generates billions of dollars in revenue each year, while at the same time attaching negative stereotypes to its performers. Even while recent data have shown that many exotic dancers have or are working towards achieving a college education, dancers continue to be publically perceived as either trashy, drug-addicted and stupid women or destitute, unhappy, victimized women. Interviews conducted with female performers employed at two exotic dance venues in Columbus, Ohio, shed light on the personal reasons that led these women to select and retain exotic dance as their career field. These interviews brought to light some important economic, physical and emotional benefits of this occupation, which were reported by interviewees to outweigh the negative aspects of this occupation. The existence of these positive aspects of the job, as well as the high level of job satisfaction reported by the interviewees, serves to discredit several negative stereotypes surrounding women who choose and maintain careers in exotic dance.

The history of Japanese Internment in the United States stretches well beyond the closure of internment camps in the mid 1940s. Japanese-American internees found themselves in an ethnic struggle following World War II that functioned as an extension of their difficult immigration to the United States in the 1890s. The Redress Movement, lasting some forty years, called for a governmental apology and reparation package to Japanese Americans for years of illegal detention on the basis of minority status in the midst of wartime discourses. The apology offered by Ronald Reagan in 1988 provides a stark example of a sovereign response to an increasingly mobile ethnic minority, posing a threat to the xenophobic, geo-politically entrenched hatred that first motivated the evacuation of American citizens. This paper investigates the ways in which Japanese Americans established an authentically Japanese-American identity by illustrating their political, social and institutional mobility in the years preceding Reagan’s apology.

With an estimated 64 million scavengers worldwide, the role of scavenging for recycled materials within the informal labor sector continues to grow. As urbanization transforms developing cities, these scavengers play a critical role in sustainable development by recycling items previously discarded by others and reducing the amount of trash in open waste dumps. While people may regard their trash as worthless, scavengers utilize these items as a resource. The challenges and triumphs faced by scavenger communities is the focus of my inquiry. While scavenger communities exist in urban areas throughout the developing world, for purpose of time constraints, I focused my research on urban India—specifically scavengers who belong to the Dalit (formally known as Untouchable) caste. India serves as a productive empirical site for my research because these scavengers occupy a complex socio-cultural role in Indian society—particularly in regards to social and environmental issues. Negotiating their identity as a permanently polluted people, the Dalit scavengers of India navigate the social world as both socially and environmentally valuable while remaining legally and politically unidentifiable. Reconciling this tension through an exploration of waste, the Indian caste system, and the effects of globalization in Indian society is how I seek to contribute to the research on Dalit scavengers.

I analyzed the eighteen textbooks that comprise the deyu (moral education) and sixiangzhengzhi (thinking politically) classes for Shanghai elementary school and middle school students. Each textbook was published in 2010, and represent the most recent revisions to the
Chinese moral education curriculum. I use three historical paradigms of Chinese moral education to demonstrate the ideologies and values that exist in the current Chinese moral education curriculum, and the extent to which they simultaneously reflect and challenge the Western conception of both morality and modernity. My research revealed a difference in the Chinese construction of history, and how self-identity is perceived.

Colleges recruit students by trying to predict their ability to succeed.  Success is measured differently depending upon the goals of the institutions, with many liberal arts colleges striving for students who will engage in their education and community.  In order to strengthen admissions processes for liberal arts institutions, I examine pre-college factors that may predict extraordinary success at one liberal arts institution, Denison University.  Interviewing 16 of the past 30 winners of Denison’s top senior award, the President’s Medal, I analyzed several trends and dispelled some common assumptions.  Many medalists were only children or have older siblings, and most of the medalists seemed to enter with an academic plan and fulfill this academic vision.  However, pre-college factors such as private schooling and changes to one’s educational environment did not seem to influence the medalists’ college success.  While the majority of my trends do not seem to support the theory of social reproduction, my findings bring to question the role of a liberal arts education and what exceptional success means in the context of the liberal arts.

This thesis examines the portrayal of black intimate relationships in situation comedies with all-black casts. Through my research I highlight both unhealthy and healthy aspects within black relationships that are presented in two of shows. With an overall interest in positive representations of black families and couples in the media, I propose that the creation of all-black cast shows can provide a healthier perspective of relationships within black communities. I do not argue that mediated representations of black couples are indicative of real intimate relationships of blacks. Instead I examine how the sole portrayal of the same images may reinforce ideas that Black intimate relationships may resemble those in these shows. Through a contextual analysis of two popular black situation comedies – The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and The Game – I examine the illustration of love and measure using a coding sheet, if these images represent a hostile relationship between black men and black women, as is often expressed. The second stage of my analysis is examining two white situation comedies to conduct a cross-analysis to identify if these hostile behaviors are isolated to one group over another. Based on the findings, the mediated texts display more negative images of black relationships than positive ones. This shows that sitcoms may perpetuate tension between black men and women in the media.

Currently it is estimated that 1.2 billion people in developing nations lack access to health care and in 2009 over 56.6 million people died from preventable diseases. The country of Haiti is no stranger to these staggering statistics.  Haiti is one of the poorest nations in the western hemisphere where an estimated 20,000 Haitians die every day from infections and lack of access to health care.  The following research investigates the current health status, access to health care and the quality of patient care delivered through the practices and effectiveness of community health clinics in Haiti. My research stems from my personal experiences in Calabasse, Haiti, providing medical care, led by professional physicians, in collaboration with a mission’s team over the past three years. I experienced injustices first-hand which have provided experiential learning, evaluation, and an opportunity to support a research process to gain an understanding of the complexity of Haiti’s current healthcare system through a new lense.  I conducted thirteen personal interviews in Haiti (November 11^th-17^th, 2010) of patients at three different health clinics as well as completed an assessment of three health clinics/hospitals. The interviews collected data with cooperation from health workers, doctors, and administrative staff to support a qualitative analysis framework through a focused methodology to evaluate the current system.  This framework included a basic statistical data examination to assist in building the foundation for future research and strategic planning to improve the healthcare delivery system in a specific community.      

What has changed and remained constant in American childbirth over the 20th century, and why? How do these trends affect women’s autonomy and empowerment? For this research I used both secondary sources as well as interviews of eleven women in the Central Ohio area who have given birth a total of 27 times over the past five decades, as well as four medical professionals. I found
that procedural changes have taken place, but the overarching authority of medical practitioners has remained a constant. Shifts have taken place in response to the second wave of feminism on the one hand and developments in medical technology on the other. Women gained some autonomy in their birthing experiences, but changing hospital policies still limited their choices. In birthing experiences women from all decades experienced little empowerment, but those who gave birth with midwives were more empowered in their experience. However, the data suggest that the women redefined empowerment for themselves, arguing that their sense of
empowerment came from the ability to create new life. In the future, this research can be used to better hospital policy, such as providing a broader spectrum of birthing options, and listening to the women as a primary source of knowledge.

In September of 2010 in Licking County, Ohio, 70 percent of seventh graders had not received the required Tdap (Tetanus, Diphtheria and Pertussis) vaccination at the start of the school year, putting the county population at great risk for getting and spreading communicable diseases. Part of a national trend of decreasing vaccine compliance, this situation raises the question, what factors influence parents decisions of whether or not to vaccinate their children? To answer this question, a written survey of parents of kindergartners and seventh-graders (N= 1,028) was conducted. These data were supplemented by interviews of ten school nurses and a county physician. By the vaccination deadline before expulsion from school, about 98 percent of parents had their children vaccinated. But these parents voiced significant concerns about having done so, especially regarding the autism scare and the number of vaccines given at one time. A trend that emerged among parents who did not vaccinate their children was the use of alternative methods to immunization. Overall, families without health insurance were more likely to be non-vaccinators, as were parents with higher education levels. This research revealed three needs: to target the public school population earlier in order to achieve herd immunity before the first day of school, to target those without health insurance and to address the concerns about autism and having multiple shots at once. An action plan to address these target areas was created in conjunction with the Licking County Health Department.

In this paper, I aim to understand contemporary conceptions of art and craft as they are defined and observed by artists, crafters and gate keeping institutions, such as museums. Specifically, I ask: What do people involved in these creative fields regard to be the definition of art or craft? What traits contribute to an object being art or craft? I also ask about the characteristics of artists in comparison to crafters. I have spoken with nine individuals that are involved in either the production of art or craft, or are knowledgeable about museum culture. I found many interesting patterns when looking at artist’s versus crafter’s classification of objects, personal motivation to create and creative process. One tendency was for the craft based professional to regard more objects as art than the self defined artist. Crafters also tended to be less spontaneously inspired than artists claimed to be. It is important to study this topic and recognize a difference between art and craft because they belong to two different cultural upbringings and both perspectives are important in our society.

While 1 in 100 Americans is incarcerated, the vast majority of the United States’ prisoners will return to society. With nearly 650,000 inmates released per year (2/3 of whom will reoffend within three years), what can be done to make reentry easier and more successful while simultaneously reducing rates of recidivism? More specifically, how does Licking County deal with ex-offender reentry and recidivism? I gathered my data from officials in the Licking County corrections system (N=4), as well as from inmates at the Licking County Jail (N=8). I found that local reentry initiatives are underfunded, limited in availability, and sometimes fail to address an individual’s underlying problems, such as substance abuse or persistent unemployment. Finally, I found that different departments of the corrections system in Licking County do not work collaboratively to tackle reentry; this teamwork may be vital to improving the overall corrections system. By improving reentry and reducing recidivism, our criminal justice system may be able to save money, imprison less people, and make incarceration as well as alternative sentencing options more effective.

In South Africa, “Coloured” people have a distinct history. The Population Registration Act of 1950 formally codified this racial category in law. Despite the diversity of people who were classified “Coloured,” members of this group have become unified by their shared history of marginalization. In this paper I investigate the contemporary understanding of “Coloured” identity in the context of post-apartheid society. The data for this research are derived from 26 online sources including newspaper articles and reader responses (n=5), a magazine article with reader responses (n=1), a website (n=1), and stand-alone blog postings (n=19). After thoroughly coding and analyzing each document for specific themes, I found that “Coloured” identity is largely understood in terms of biological inheritance as well as the great diversity of this biological ancestry. This research reveals that race, and specifically the racial identifier “Coloured,” continue to carry important meanings despite the end of the legal recognition of these separate racial categories. Government bodies as well as individual South Africans perform racial projects that often perpetuate apartheid-era conceptions of “Coloured” identity. However, others challenge and attempt to disrupt these rigid social categories. Despite finding that in many ways, “Coloured” identity remains continuous from the apartheid era; there is a degree of fluidity inherent in this identity.

Advertising in our culture is currently a major way to reach out to the public and market a product, and advertisements reflect social identities of people whom the automobile manufacturers want to reach and attract. This research uncovers how consumption, representation, and the social identity of people are mirrored in automobile advertisements. More specifically the automobile industry uses advertisements to appeal to specific demographic segments of the population. This research analyzes how some advertisements attempt to attract different demographics through the use of varying advertising approaches. Through the analysis of two issues from each five different magazines, I have analyzed the social identities reflected in automobile advertisements in these magazines. This work shows how different automobile manufacturers and their products are advertized to different demographics through the use of different social identities in their advertisements to appeal to certain groups of people.

Throughout their history, the Roma people, or Gypsies, have experienced discrimination, poverty and violence. In this analysis I consider if the current situation of the Roma is a continuation of the history of oppression they have faced or if it is a recent development. Additionally, I contemplate whether this change can be linked to the massive social and economic transformation that has occurred since the breakdown of the former Soviet Bloc.

In literature and in current news media Gypsies, regardless of time or place, are presented as dangerous, dirty and untrustworthy or, paradoxically the gypsy life is romanticized. I examine why this perception has emerged, and question its accuracy. A review of secondary literature, combined with an analysis from my brief field experience, informs a more complete engagement with the contemporary situation of the Roma people of Eastern Europe.

In this research study, I explored the possible effects of the Licking County Habitat for Humanity program on partner families’ satisfaction and well-being after placement in a home built by the organization. Specifically, it investigates the concepts of community and communication and examines the experience of seven Habitat homeowners and the organization’s Executive Director, through the Participatory Action Research (PAR) approach based on interviews, documents from the organization and personal observation as a member of the organization. In grounding my research in the theoretical perspectives of PAR and standpoint theory, my project sought to integrate the needs of community members in order for Habitat to better serve those needs. Major findings include partner families’ appreciation for their homes and the continued need for outreach by board members to partner families. The latter may influence a partner family’s mortgage payment (e.g. whether they are current or behind in their payments). My research identified factors that hinder and aid partners in achieving success while living in a Habitat home, so that the organization could be more effective in addressing partner family needs. Application of these findings and future directions of the organization conclude the study.

This project describes and analyzes the discourse surrounding the consumer revolution in China, Chinese consumer patterns, and the Chinese state and McDonald’s. In more specific terms, I examine how consumer identities are created in post-socialist (1976-present) China, using McDonald’s as a lens. I use four research methodologies, i.e., primary and secondary literature, participant observation, semi-structured interviews and focus groups with Chinese students who attend Denison to discover the ways in which Chinese citizens conceptualize McDonald’s, identity, and the state in neoliberal China. Foucault’s theory of governmentality provides a framework through which to understand the relationship between the Chinese government and Chinese consumers in the post-socialist period. Political, economic and social factors, when examined independently and in conjunction with each other, provide the context for the shifting power dynamics between the Chinese government and the Chinese individual.

This bibliographic research project is informed by multiracial feminism and the intersectionality of race, class and gender. These societal systems of domination constrain the educational and economic opportunities of Black adolescent females. Despite such constraints Black adolescent females possess agency, the power to choose as an individual whether or not they want to engage in sexual activities and to subsequently become pregnant. There is a need for comprehensive sex education that directly serves the needs of Black adolescent females. This project highlights four organizations that address the societal constraints faced by Black adolescent females as a way to combat teen pregnancy. This research project explains what leading researchers describe as effective programs. It offers a compilation of the effective program characteristics, and sets out a program that will address all of the societal constraints as a way to ameliorate the issue of teen pregnancy.

Although Quechua is the most widely spoken indigenous language in South America, it is considered an endangered language. Since the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire, Quechua has been widely stigmatized and subjugated in Peru, particularly in its urban zones. Because Peru contains the highest population of Quechua speakers worldwide, its language policies—or lack thereof—will no doubt be instrumental in shaping the future of Quechua. In this study, I explore the reasons behind the widespread devaluation of Quechua in Peru, and the absence of effective language planning policies that aim to protect and revitalize the language on a national scale. I analyze online newspaper articles from 2009 and 2010 that address language issues, as well as reader responses to these articles, so as to uncover recurring concerns and attitudes among Peruvians regarding minority languages such as Quechua. In my interpretation of these opinions, I employ Antonio Gramsci’s concept of hegemony to develop an understanding of the elite ideology that likely influences language politics in Peru.

Sex education in middle and high schools has long been a highly debated topic. Political forces at the state and federal levels support widely differing views about what approaches should be taken to address sex education at the middle and high school levels. However, this debate does not seem to extend to the college level, where students are even more likely to engage in sexual intercourse. This study examines sex education and sexual health interventions on Denison University’s campus, and Denison administrators’ and student staff members’ perceptions of students’ sexual knowledge. The study also focuses on how well known the sexual health interventions at Denison are, and whether they are being fully utilized by the Denison student body. Eight Denison University administrators and student staff members were interviewed to gain a deeper understanding of sex education and sexual health interventions at Denison. Data indicate that Denison University could be offering students more sex education, and students could be doing more to take responsibility for their personal sexual health.

The development of social networking sites on the Internet, beginning just over a decade ago, has marked a momentous evolution in the way that we communicate as a society.  It has been said that these sites facilitate a “democratization” of interactions, as it is possible for anyone with access to the Internet to develop their own voice and connect with anyone else utilizing a social networking site.  Though this “democratization” is inherently possible, it has been found that the demographic information for various social networking sites indicates that we translate our class-consciousness from our offline interactions into our interactions online, in the virtual space that is social networking sites.  Through a series of interviews and a review of literature, this ethnographic study sets out to explore the notion of class consciousness in relation to our perceptions of and interactions on the social networking sites MySpace, Facebook, and LinkedIn, and what this means for the future of communication in our society.

This senior research project is concerned first with the position of police officers in contemporary, democratic, industrial social orders. It is particularly concerned with the ways that interracial relations are shaped by different groups with specific relationships to law enforcement, especially gang members and rank and file police officers. Literature regarding racial profiling and the affects of race on interactions between citizens and officers is reviewed. The final portion of this project is an analysis of my observations made on ride alongs in Precinct 5 in Columbus, Ohio, one of the most crime-ridden areas of the city.

This project examines a seven-day journey, the “Walk with the Ancients,” organized by the Newark Earthworks Center of the Ohio State University-Newark, and undertaken by approximately 30 individuals for diverse reasons. Participants walked across 70 miles of rural Ohio along the Great Hopewell Road as hypothesized by Dr. Bradley Lepper, archaeologist. Beginning at Hopewell National Park in Chillicothe, Ohio, and finishing at the Octagon Mound of the Newark Earthworks, this walk served as a means to explore the history of Ohio’s Hopewell Culture, as well as a vehicle for self-exploration and to escape contemporary reality. As a participating observer, I interviewed walkers and administrators of the walk, asking their motivations and goals relating to this pilgrimage. I also surveyed the media publicity for the walk to understand its conception. By means of applying Benedict Anderson’s theory of imagined community, I looked at the public’s perception of the “walkers,” as well as the “Hopewell Culture” in relation to the “Walk with the Ancients.” Despite conflicts of interest and differing opinions among the participants and administrators, the walk was perceived in the local and national media as an effort to publicize, educate, and preserve the Newark Earthworks.

When India gained independence from British Rule on 15th August 1947, she was simultaneously divided into two nation states of India and Pakistan. In this paper, I look beyond the 'facts' of partition to acknowledge new theories of history that employ alternate forms of knowledge as a lens for studying the past. For the purpose of my study, I look at the way in which historical fiction is able to provide an alternative to the official historical narrative of Partition. The three novels I consider are Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children, Amitav Ghosh's The Shadow Lines, and Paul Scott's A Division of the Spoils. Each novel provides a different perspective on the same historical event.

My research examines the contradictory messages of "Seventeen" magazine from its inception in 1944 to the present. I selected this topic because of the media's profound influence on female adolescents. Young women are extremely susceptible to the negative effects of the media, particularly in the context of teen magazines. Utilizing the support of previous scholarly literature, liberal and radical feminism, and communication theories, I conducted a textual content analysis of 28 issues between the years 1944 and 2009. I argue that the opposing messages in this publication are problematic, and that the negative messages outweigh the positive ones. Because I believe "Seventeen" has a responsibility to its readers, I suggest a new model to the editors that will communicate messages that effectively advance gender equality, encourage and celebrate constructive female identity, and share beneficial advice to its readers as they transition into womanhood.

This project examines the ways in which mass cultural texts reproduce stereotypical gender ideologies by asking the question, why do women read romance novels? The method I used to study this phenomenon was an in depth content analysis of three popular romance novel website blogs. Previous scholarship suggests that women read romantic fiction to escape reality by satisfying and pacifying their desires and anxieties. The literature also puts forth the notion that women are empowered by reading romantic texts. My analysis found evidence to support the theory that women read romance novels to escape reality. It also found that women benefit from being members of the virtual romance community.

This research examines the history and social structures affecting both current U.S. drug policy and the War on Drugs. It is then determined whether current drug policy and enforcement derive from an institutionally racist system. Numerous secondary sources were examined and quantitative analysis of existing data sources was carried out to determine whether this assumption was so. The evidence of prior research and results of the analysis suggest that there seems to be institutional racism guiding U.S. drug policy. Future suggestions to change both drug policy and its overall structure are made to help benefit those who seem to be most negatively affected by them (young adult African-American males).

This research project investigates the presence and effect of scholastic capital at KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program) charter schools, taking up issues concerning how scholastic capital is “fleshed out” and communicated at a KIPP Scholar Academy, and its influence on underserved students. Through classroom observation and interviews, I analyze the explicit transfer of scholastic capital in KIPP Scholar Academy classrooms, focusing specifically on KIPP’s schooling ideology and classroom culture. My findings suggest that KIPP students successfully matriculate to college because they are explicitly instructed in the ways of scholastic capital via intentional use of language, comportment, and expectations. The end result of the transfer of scholastic capital at Scholar Academy is that the “native culture” of KIPP students facilitates all necessary indicators of academic success in higher education.

Since his election in 2006, Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa and his “Citizen’s Revolution” government have proclaimed themselves to be “leaving the night of neoliberalism behind.” In this project, I question whether Correa is truly governing outside of the neoliberal paradigm, specifically with regard to Ecuadorian youth. I draw on Foucault-inspired theories to conceptualize “neoliberalism” beyond its economic definition and explore its social, cultural and political manifestations. My methodology is based upon an original analysis of the Correa government’s official youth policies and discourses. I suggest that Correa overwhelmingly invokes “youth” as a strategic category

The present research examines how literacy is conceptualized in Ohio elementary schools. Through two case studies, Granville Elementary in Granville, Ohio and McGuffey Elementary in Newark, Ohio, I explore how teachers and principals in these two schools define literacy, how these definitions are rooted in the history of their communities, and the power relations manifested in the literacy programs used. Previous research suggests that literacy is socially created and that, decisions about literacy in a community are made by those occupying the most powerful positions. Through both a historical analysis of Granville and Newark and interviews with teachers and principals in the two schools, my findings suggest that conceptualizations of literacy are influenced most heavily by the history of the community and that decisions about literacy are often made by those in less powerful positions within the school district, especially teachers.

I explore the relationship between charter schools and social reproduction. Specifically, I ask: what implications can charter schools have for generational poverty in the contemporary United States? More specifically, in what ways do charter schools reinforce and/or challenge middle-class values and cultural capital? In asking these questions, I draw on the work of theorists including Pierre Bourdieu, Samuel Bowles, Herbert Gintis, and Jean Anyon, who all studied how systems of social and economic stratification persist, and are reproduced for generations with minimal resistance, and indeed little conscious awareness, from the dominated classes. While some researchers have applied the ideas of cultural capital and social reproduction to the British and American contexts, few studies have considered how social reproduction functions within the growing charter school movement. Since charter schools serve somewhat different populations of students than traditional schools, and since many aim to overcome existing patterns of social stratification by improving the opportunities of marginalized segments of the population, I ask whether charter schools succeed in challenging and/or reproducing their students in ways that reinforce and/or differ from the social reproduction found in traditional schools.

Raw cow's milk, which had not been pasteurized, is illegal to sell in Ohio. Raw milk is different from pasteurized milk because it still contains the bacteria and enzymes when it came from the cow. It is milk in its most natural form. The Ohio Department of Agriculture believes raw milk is a public health risk, as it can carry disease-causing pathogens like E. coli and Brucellosis. There are, however, people who believe raw milk, when produced properly, can be healthier than pasteurized milk, because it contains beneficial bacteria, just as yogurt does. I look at how raw milk producers make their milk, and why they are convinced it can be produced safely.

My senior research focuses on gentrification. More specifically, I examine the consequences of gentrification in urban areas, specifically to Boston neighborhoods, and how this process displaces minorities and increases the divide in social classes. Throughout my research, I address questions of interest to me and through conducted interviews I ask questions that I feel are helpful in understanding the major impact of this social, economic and cultural phenomenon.

Inspired by my contact with an Aboriginal woman who owned and ran her own tour company on her traditional, sacred land, in the Kimberley Region of Australia, I consider how tourists, European Australians and legislators are forcing Aboriginal Australians to choose between ‘traditional’ and ‘modern.’ Legislation designed to protect Aboriginal ‘tradition’ in fact reifies it, and restricts Aboriginal participation in certain economic realms. For my interlocutor, owning her tourism business was a mixed blessing. It offered her a much-needed livelihood, but it also forced her to shape her own Aboriginality into culturally acceptable forms, as she competed with more popular tourism sites that represent the ‘traditional’ aboriginal experience. While the laws surrounding Aboriginal land seem at first reading to respect Aboriginal peoples’ view of the land as sacred, such legislation often leaves them out of European understandings of property and ownership. I also draw on examples from Aboriginal art and a recent case in which Aboriginal land is being considered for nuclear waste storage. I suggest, following Parry, that categories like sacred and saleable, ‘traditional’ and ‘modern’, tell us far more about legislators, tourists and European Australians than about current Aboriginal conceptions of their lands, art and culture.

This research details the contemporary resurgence of the Mapuche peoples in Chile, based on the history of their disputes with the Chilean state. The Mapuche have asserted indigenous claims to their traditional lands, and their right to thriving communities that are independent of the state. My review of the debate begins with the initial processes of indigenous pauperization, and conquest by Spain. But, it also explores their exploited position currently in the capital city, Santiago. Through an examination of the history of Spanish colonialism and imperialism, as well as neoliberal economic policies today, I argue that indigenous peoples have been consistently treated as a second-class citizenry. Through the presence of indigenous associations and complementary healthcare centers that serve urban Mapuche, I look at how the latter reclaim and assert themselves politically and culturally, against governing structures that have long subverted and overlooked their existence.

This research investigates the ways in which individuals at a consumer-operated mental health organization, the Main Place, choose their recovery goals, and participate in activities and services that assist them in reaching these goals. By using previously collected data on consumer recovery plans, I compiled a quantitative analysis of the Main Place database from a two-year period. My findings highlighted the discrepancies between expressed verbal interest in a goal or activity, and the actual accomplishment of these in the recovery process. I specifically discovered the importance of attendance for a recovery-oriented organization, and the popularity of Access to Resources and Socialization/Recreation as goals and services at The Main Place, respectively. This report was created using the methodology of Participatory Action Research. I partnered with the Main Place community to gather feedback regarding my quantitative findings. From this feedback, I developed a qualitative analysis to address clarity and

Facebook.com is the phenomenally popular social networking site where over 400 million users worldwide actively communicate with one another and present information on themselves. The vast popularity of Facebook connotes some sort of cultural significance, yet there is an extreme paucity of research on how users experience the social networking site. My research examines the way in which Facebook represents, for its members, an idealized social environment with offline legitimacy. Additionally, I explore the factors that create Facebook as an incredibly engaging arena, and how its users understand the social networking site. Most broadly, I examine identity, user awareness, and agency on Facebook in relation to a user’s actual world experience.

Divination and other spiritual practices have been explored in depth in the fields of sociology and anthropology. However, the closely related topic of fortunetelling has not been widely investigated. In this project, I examine and describe the identity of both the fortuneteller and the patron in contemporary practice, and explore the nature of their interactions, through interviews, survey data, and an analysis of advertising literature. Connections to traditional gender roles and feminist spirituality are examined in order to further describe this female-dominated practice. Finally, the function of fortunetelling is assessed using interview data as well as a comparison with self-help methods.

Food, pharmaceutical and medical drugs, and narcotics are all categories of a larger grouping of substances: ingestibles. The conceptualization of these substances and categories has been integral to their formation as distinct strata of the substance taxonomy. While scientific tools have been used to identify differences between various substances, social and cultural forces have arguably played a more significant role in both designating which substances belong in which categories and defining the actual categories themselves. By examining the discourses surrounding the regulation of a wide variety of substances, I have been able to demonstrate how scientific findings of a substance’s effects have been less influential to regulatory decisions than the public conceptions of that substance. This trend is also useful for demonstrating how economic interests have been able to frame the discourse of health in the U.S. such that health motives have become secondary to commercial ones.

Keywords: food, medicine, narcotic, regulation, health, capitalism

Currently it is estimated, that 1.1 billion people in developing nations lack access to clean water and 2.6 billion people lack access to improved sanitation. In this research I investigate the effect water access and latrine sanitation has on infant mortality rates in Ethiopia. Using surveys conducted by the Demographic and Health Survey of Ethiopia 2005 provides information on households’ main source of water and toilet. Also the survey provides information on maternal characteristics, behaviors and access to other health related resources. This research includes cultural variables which also affect infant health. Conducting crosstabulations and linear regression modeling the analysis shows that water and toilet type significantly influences infant health outcomes. Development cannot be achieved without people first receiving basic necessities. Ethiopia is the third largest African country, making its urgency for development not only one that affects 85.2 million people in Ethiopia, but also the entire population of Africa.

Key Words: infant health, maternal health, water access, toileting, Ethiopia, development

This study examines definitions of adulthood within the United States as it relates to underage drinking behavior. Previous literature on both subjects is examined, as well as the history of alcohol within the country, policies regarding it, and the current debate over the drinking age beginning roughly in the summer of 2008.The hypothesis for this study states that because of the rights and privileges associated with the age of 18 in the United States, individuals within this age range perceive themselves as having attained full adult status. As a result, they believe that they should have the ability to consume alcohol legally, and ignore the current drinking age to do so. Ten interviews were conducted, asking questions regarding perceived adult status, adult practices, and views of drinking age laws and the justice system in general. The findings from the interviews confirm the original hypothesis.

Keywords: Adulthood, underage drinking, alcohol, strain theory.

The health consequences of cigarette smoking are no secret. Even still though, many Americans persistently smoke cigarettes and every year 438,000 people die in the United States from the adverse health effects of cigarette smoking. Even more shocking is the number of adolescent smokers in the U.S. (4.5 million in 2003). These numbers provide evidence for why adolescent smoking behavior should be studied. This research studies the relationship between adolescent smoking initiation and the smoking behavior of adolescents’ peers and family. The effect that communicated discourse on smoking has on adolescent smoking initiation is also analyzed. Using the 2004 National Youth Tobacco Survey (CDC), which has 27, 933 respondents, multiple crosstabulations were run in order to analyze under what social conditions and within what social relationships adolescents initiate into daily smoking. The crosstabulations reveal that peer smoking behavior, family smoking behavior and communicated discourse on smoking all influence (to different degrees) adolescents’ susceptibility to ever smoking cigarettes daily. With strong evidence that cigarette smoking is a socially influenced practice, this knowledge should be incorporated into anti-smoking advertisements and campaigns directed towards adolescents.

Keywords: adolescents, smoking initiation, peers, family, discourse

Americans in positions of political and economic power have continually shifted their methods of dealing with the contestations of alternative political populations throughout U.S. history. This Foucauldian-inspired historical research analyzed four separate periods in American history from the 17^th to the 20^th century to reveal the shift from violent to discursive methods of dealing with the contestations of these populations. I specifically analyzed the slow development a patriotic, nationalist discourse (PND) in the United States from its birth in the American Revolution to its function in 1955. I embarked upon this analysis by charting the shifts in the mobilization and deployment of the PND by the political and economic elite to quell the contestations of the lower classes, communists, and socialists at different times in American history. [Keywords: U.S. History, Social Movements, Michel Foucault, Discourse, Power, Socialism, Communism]

This research investigates how domestic violence shelters serve children. It explores the way in which the goals and mission of a local shelter are written and how these goals function for children. Through interviews with staff, volunteers and mothers at a local domestic violence shelter, this paper examines if there are programs and resources available to children who have come with their mothers to escape violence at home. In examining the formation of domestic violence shelters and the history of childhood, this paper explores the level of attention paid to children who are shelter residents and also explores the programs available to them. [Key Words: Domestic Violence, Children, Shelters, Goals and Mission, Children’s Programs, Parenting]

In the contemporary United States prostitution is a puzzle: not only is the practice's illegality ambiguous, but the prostitute appears in contemporary accounts either as a glamorized independent woman or a sexual slave. Thus, a comprehensive engagement with prostitution’s complexity is impaired by the dichotomous structure of the contemporary debate. In this analysis, I demonstrate how the hidden theoretical histories of the body, sexuality, marriage, morality, labor, and commodification are manifested in both the contemporary debate and the legal and social challenges encountered by prostitutes. I demonstrate how post-structuralism, particularly the work of Deleuze and Guattari on the relationship between capitalism and schizophrenia, can inform a more critical and comprehensive engagement with prostitution in contemporary US society.

Keywords: prostitution, body, sexuality, marriage, morality, labor, commodification

The formulation of Greek identity is created by folklore through the lens of nationalism, which creates, perpetuates, and assists in understanding the duality of Hellenic and Orthodox identity. The influences of Europe on the production of Greek identity are inseparable from the current conceptualization of themselves that Greeks hold today but nationalism also served the purposes of Greeks in creating a unified and legitimate state. The theoretical approaches of syncretism and survivalism, outdated as they may be, were tools useful to folklore in establishing cultural continuity and developing the relationship between Orthodoxy and Hellenism within the Greek psyche. The analysis of folklore and its struggle with categorizing modern Greek tradition provide a useful context for the interpretation of Greek nationalism and the realization of Greek identity.

The focus of this thesis is educational counseling, also known as school guidance counseling. My findings display the roles of educational counseling in the school system. Though I focus on (Ohio School Districts) the roles of educational counseling apply nationwide. As a result of interviewing counselors in five schools, elementary, middle and high school, my analysis makes evident reoccurring patterns in school counseling. The four reoccurring patterns are (1) student agency, (2) confidential/parental involvement, (3) building relationships, and (4) collaboration between counselors and teachers. Even though all of the counselors made it clear that their roles as counselors are to assist students in their academic, social, emotional, and personal development, I argue that educational counseling plays a significant role in the development of student agency and self-reliance, by empowering them so that they become independent, responsible, intellectual, active members of society.

Key words: Education, student agency, success/achievement, educational counseling, and society.

The commonality of sexual violence within South Africa has led to the rapid growth of HIV/AIDS, especially among adolescent females. Due to political, economic and socially ingrained values, the sexual practices between males and females have led to a vast increase of HIV/AIDS-infected females. I consider how the historical roots of South Africa have structured gender and racial hierarchies throughout apartheid and post-apartheid governmental systems. I focus on the social acceptance of multiple-partnered sexual relationships among males and how this has led to women’s lack of power within society. I analyze state-run surveys to demonstrate the spread of HIV among females due women’s minimal authority within relationships, the existence of coercive sexual practices, the social ability of men to boast several sexual mates, and the lack of condom usage among males and females to reveal the patriarchy that is still in existence in South Africa.

Keywords: Sexual Violence, HIV/AIDS, Gender, South Africa, Patriarchy, Adolescence, Health Status

Gawker.com is a gossip blog where thousands of people log on each day to read about everything from Obama’s stimulus package to Britney’s latest blunder. It is part of a new phenomena – a world where we may be closer to those with whom we blog, text-message or tweet than those we live next door to. Yet how new is Gawker.com really? The site is centrally a place where identities are constructed, friendships built and social norms negotiated, and where gossip continues as an age-old way of interrogating the powerful. That said, there is also something distinctive about gawker.com which I suggest is emblematic of the now. To Weber and Simmel, the fast pace of modern life left us as, “specialists without spirit, sensualists without heart.” The blasé ‘voices’ of Gawker might be read as a defense mechanism against a world where life is only tolerable in the virtual.

In this study I examine American films from 1990-1999 to see how race relations between black Americans and white Americans were depicted and the implications of such depictions on interracial interactions. The five films selected are Ghost (1990), A Few Good Men (1992), Speed (1994), A Time to Kill (1996) and Rush Hour (1998). I will be focusing my study on ‘token’ black characters which are defined as characters that demonstrate stereotypical qualities, are in a lower-status role with regards to white characters or serve no other purpose in the film other than to drive the narrative forward by serving as an instrument for other agentive characters. In my research I find that a ‘token’ black character is complex identity that is dialectically created and is part of a history of stereotypical and racist depictions of black Americans in film.

This thesis looks at the idea of masculinity and examines it through social practices. Social practices serve as ‘indicators’ of the social construction of masculinity. Specifically, this thesis will study how social practices during slavery create an idea of Black masculinity which can be similarly seen in contemporary forms of imprisonment. Additionally, I look at how the idea of social memory plays a role in how African Americans are defined, and thus, define themselves. The findings show that while not everything correlates directly between slavery and the prison system, there are strong connections in how Black masculinity is defined, reified, and reproduced between these two institutions of control.

Denison University began its institutional commemoration of MLK Day in 2001 as a result of the efforts of two students who graduated in 2000. The commemoration of MLK speaks largely to the collective memory of Denison, and the nation. I addressed the topics of collective memory and commemoration through ethnographic research, interviews with current and former planning committee members, and analysis of written material on past commemorations. These data highlight the changes in the events over the last seven years, and indicate several points of stability in the focus of the activities. What started as a weeklong series of activities has expanded to a two-month “season of events” that addresses numerous social equity issues. This development has coincided with changes in the organization and specific focuses of the commemoration. However, certain foundational themes ground the commemoration each year in the midst of shifting social and historical contexts.

Although baseball has lost popularity among Americans to more “exciting” sports such as football and basketball, neither of these sports has stripped the title of “national pastime” away from baseball. This thesis examines baseball, the American pastime, not only as a game, but as an institution of American society that has been influential from the world of sports to the very core of what this nation represents. Throughout this thesis I will demonstrate that baseball has not only been influenced by race and ethnicity, nationalism, and class, but that baseball, in turn, has been influential in defining these social forces in the American context. I examine baseball throughout the last century, focusing on the “golden age” (1917-1947) and the modern era (1977-2007). I argue that the changes that happen in baseball are a direct reflection of the changing nature of American society.

Urban centers, which faced decline following World War Two, are now sites of reinvestment and renewed social and political interest. The East Main Street Urban Visioning Project aims to encourage redevelopment in Newark, Ohio. The planning period provides an important opportunity to reflect on the process of urban design. The project intended to draw on history, increase safety, and revitalize community, but from the beginning there was conflict over whose interests were really served and whether people would come second to profit. I consider the theoretical perspectives implicit in planning discourse. Chicago school tropes of the ‘natural’ processes of decline and growth oppose a neo-Marxist inspired focus on power and inequality. My discussion includes the perspectives of those involved in the planning of the project and members of the East End community. My findings imply the necessity of critically engaging with the interests of power embedded within the built environment.

This research explores the musical culture of the diaspora while placing the musical developments in a contemporary historical context. This positioning allows for an understanding of the influence of past and recent conflict and displacement on the cultural practices of dispersed Somali populations, and how the changes in these practices and aspects of the culture diagram the past, present and future of Somalia and a ‘Somali’ identity. By thumbing through government texts, scholarly articles, and news articles information was gained about the history and political climate of Somalia. Somali internet sites, correspondence with Somali musicians and historians, and most importantly, in-depth interviews with members of the Columbus, OH Somali community provided crucial data. The findings reflect changing perceptions of Somalia, changing perceptions of what it means to be Somali, and changing interpretations of tradition. The music is simultaneously evolving, fashioned to embody a ‘new’ Somali identity; one that is between reflecting the past and deciding the future.

This paper summarizes the findings from a year long study of the experiences of first-generation college students versus non-first-generation college students at a small, private liberal arts college in Ohio. While the definition of first-generation college students varies, in this study they are defined as students whose parents do not have a bachelor’s degree. This examination includes an analysis of the hidden curriculum, which relates to the unwritten and implicit rules of how to navigate college. In order to compare the experiences of the two student populations, interviews and focus groups were conducted with first-generation college students, non-first-generation college students, and administrators. Among the findings that emerged, the main themes that highlighted the difference between these two groups included the college search and financial aid processes and the meaning of a college degree. These themes articulated the issues of kinship obligations, the hidden curriculum, and access to capital.

As the burden of HIV/AIDS increases throughout the African continent the contraction of opportunistic secondary infections is also on the rise. Tuberculosis has become one of the most common of these infections, and for many Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS have become nearly synonymous. Uganda is no exception to this current medical situation and has been plagued with one of the highest rates of TB in the world.

This study investigates the role of discourse and stigma in the treatment seeking process for those infected with Tuberculosis. Because news media is one of the most common forms of public discourse this was the primary source of data for this study. This data was then examined for the use of negative stereotypes and discourse and compared with the rates of those infected with TB seeking treatment.

The focus of this study is the way contemporary police stress programs in the United States negotiate their mental health services within the police subculture. Using five in-depth interviews with employees of police stress programs, I explore how these programs have developed and what methods they use which enable them to be successful in helping the police officers. Based on these findings, I make suggestions to Licking County on developing a police stress program. Police stress, as well as police officers’ lack of education and resources to deal with the stress, is a social problem that affects everyone. Although officers tend to be resistant of mental health care due to subcultural norms, police stress programs have adapted to police subculture by tailoring services specifically to police officers and their families. Police stress programs can be integrated into the police subcultures and positively affect the police officers, their families, the departments and their communities.

This project analyzes sexual assault disclosure: victim-survivors’ conversations about their unwanted sexual experiences. I interviewed fifteen victim-survivors and use this data to demonstrate the interrelated power of three discourses pertaining to rape: heterosexuality, law, and the anti-rape movement. Within the heterosexual discourse, women narrate the unwanted incident as a sexual learning experience during conversations with other women. In future romantic relationships, victim-survivors decide to disclose to their partners to prevent sexual aggression. In these disclosures, partners often pressure victim-survivors to legally report the incident. Legal recognition of the incident is considered essential in identifying that what “really happened” was criminal. Legal disclosures facilitate anti-rape disclosures in which victim-survivors politicize their story to raise awareness. Because of the perceived negative social repercussions of reporting, stories are kept as secrets among women friends. Victim-survivors participate in other anti-rape activism that does not require personal disclosure.

Yaoi manga, graphic novels which depict homosexual relationships between men, are aimed towards an audience of women. I suggest that the novel’s appeal for Japanese women is as a space for considering issues of power and sexuality, while simultaneously offering an escape from patriarchy and from gender inequalities portrayed as inherent to Japanese marriage. Reading yaoi manga provides a tacit feminist response to the historical patriarchy which underlies the contemporary Japanese state. I consider form, theme and characters in boys' love, demonstrating the significance of these factors in women’s explorations of their relationships with men. Thus, yaoi manga are not about homosexuality; they create a space for what woman cannot otherwise say. Wilchins suggests that "in a male-centered culture, women will always be the 'queer sex' " (2004:11). Yaoi manga appear as a 'queer space' revealing an emerging but contested feminist consciousness.

Relics of past civilizations are scattered across Ohio's landscape. Tarlton Cross Mound, located in central Ohio, USA is one of three effigy mounds in the state and the only cross-shaped mound in the country. Previously, limited research has been done to determine how, why, and by whom this mound was constructed, the questions that form the core of this project. This research has two main components: a geoarchaeological study of the soil used to build the mound and an archival study of the symbolic meaning of the square cross. Sediments from the mound were analyzed and it was determined that the soil was of local origin. The shape of mound is significant because as a symbol, it represents the Middle World, or the world of humans, in Native American cosmology. From these data, Tarlton Cross was most likely built by the Fort Ancient culture as a shrine to the cosmos.

In this project I examine the use, and discourse, surrounding the inclusion of multicultural literature in Ohio high school English classes. By conducting interviews with teachers, an analysis of the syllabi of seventy-nine high school classes, and a content analysis of the most commonly used multicultural texts, I discuss what texts and authors make up the new high school canon and why these texts are chosen. Although many teachers do make a concentrated effort to include multicultural literature in their classes, I argue that the syllabi and class selections do not reflect this effort; rather, there is little diversity in the texts used at the high school level, and very few books, from a few select authors, are used to represent the vast array of diversity in American and international society.

This qualitative study focused on the means through which mothers and daughters communicate within their relationship. I chose to focus on practices of the body, namely weight and appearance. In-depth interviews were conducted with 19 daughters between the ages of 18 and 22 that attended Denison University. Analysis of the data revealed that the physical change of maturation in the daughter’s body was a marking point in the change of the relationship between mother and daughter. At this point in the mother-daughter relationship, communication about the body became more complex. Discussion about the body also became a discussion about the body as a site of mother-daughter negotiation. These mother-daughter relationships and interactions were shaped by thoughts and concerns that mothers and daughters had about themselves, each other, and the relationship that they had with one another.

Girls in the Ohio Juvenile Justice System are sometimes overlooked, being forced to fit into the institutional mold built for males. This research looks at how the Ohio Justice System conceptualizes female juvenile offenders. From interviews with people working within the system, it can be seen that girls are thought about in relation to the family and kinship structures they come from, the socioeconomic class they are in, the agency and control they have over their own lives, and the way the State operates in relation to these things. This research sets out to explore the question: "What are girls for" in the Ohio Juvenile Justice System, but there is no concrete answer. This research investigates the different ways girls are conceptualized in hopes of bringing knowledge about their situation to the forefront.

Interviews, a statistical analysis, and personal interaction with the Licking County, Ohio Children's Services Department helped gather information about the factors impacting the initial interactions families have with Children's Services when reports are made to the agency. The researcher completed an internship with the agency, where data was gathered to synthesize in a statistical analysis. Six patterns that were found to be especially significant in the findings of this research: the relationship between single parenting, the Alleged Perpetrator (AP) relationship, and the type of abuse; access to capital; the discourse of blaming the parents for sexual abuse by a family friend; gender roles and gender identity; social isolation of the family; and the relationships surrounding court action. One conclusion suggested that fathers in non-single parented homes were the AP of physical abuse, and mothers in single parented homes were the AP of neglect. Implications for future research are included.

For this project, I seek to analyze trans-national definitions of motherhood in the context of the United States-Mexico border. I operationalize migration and immigration as an experience which is deeply embedded in gender, and seek to understand how identity is shaped through border-crossing; how gender acts as a catalyst for instigating and structuring migrant practices. I analyze issues of sovereignty and "belonging" in reference to undocumented immigration, and how responsibilities of motherhood exceed and differ from nation-state statutes on parenthood. My data presents interview testimony from mothers who have recently immigrated to the United States, and serves to better illustrate issues of identity and what women perceive as their relationship with their children. To represent my data, I have compiled a series of my poems discussing issues of motherhood and identity to show how migration and motherhood have affected the lives of my respondents.

I consider U.S. cultural definitions of development by investigating the fair trade movement, and specifically the commodity coffee, as a form of development. Based on surveys with U.S. consumers, interviews with representatives of several U.S. NGOs, coffee roasters, as well as other organizations in the movement, along with primary literature, I contribute a cultural analysis of fair trade coffee that considers its potential as an instance of development. I argue that definitions of fair trade still focus far more on economic solutions than on a concern for local cultural conceptualizations. By employing morality and consumption as sites for ‘international development,’ the fair trade movement does not completely reconceptualize the social and political structures of international trade. While the movement influences consumers and businesses to consider production conditions, fair trade also engages images that have implications for producer-consumer relations and the potential of the movement.

Over 200,000 individuals were murdered during the 36-year armed conflict in Guatemala. Violence was concentrated in the countryside, which permitted the majority of the urban elite to continue with their lives without being affected by the war. For a country to collectively heal after a period of political violence, an active discussion and a collective memory of the atrocities committed is necessary. Using interviews conducted in Guatemala City, of 16 young elite members and 3 teachers, I analyzed the memory and understanding that the elite youth have about the conflict. Evaluating their opinions about the military and the guerrillas, the ideas conveyed in their formal education and their memories of two important activists, I can see how the collective memory of the armed conflict affects the social identity of the young elite in Guatemala. Moreover, I explore the implications of uncertain ideas of the past for future leaders of Guatemala.