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Title: The call of public service: motivation and professional commitment in education.
Creator: Ackerina, Jacqueline., College of Education, Department of Educational Leadership and Research Methodology
Abstract/Description: The purpose of this study was to determine if individuals who are professionally committed to careers in public education possess public service motivation. The participants in this study were a sample of convenience selected through their enrollment in graduate education programs within three East Coast universities. The sample was stratified into three groups based on their education roles as teachers, aspiring leaders, and school district administrators. Based on the 258 education sector...
Show moreThe purpose of this study was to determine if individuals who are professionally committed to careers in public education possess public service motivation. The participants in this study were a sample of convenience selected through their enrollment in graduate education programs within three East Coast universities. The sample was stratified into three groups based on their education roles as teachers, aspiring leaders, and school district administrators. Based on the 258 education sector participants, the majority were Caucasian, female, and under the age of 30. All respondents held at least a bachelor's degree and the majority held up to ten years tenure in education. Utilizing an abridged version of Perry's (1996) multi-dimensional scale that was modified for the education sector, the public service motivation (PSM) construct was measured using an Internet survey approach. Three of the public service motivation dimensions and two commitment items were used to operationalize the PSM and professional commitment of education professionals within their current roles. Correlation, regression, ANOVA, and t-test analyses were conducted to examine the data collected. Study findings concluded that education professionals possess public service motivation and are professionally committed to their careers. In addition, results indicated that school district administrators possessed higher levels of public service motivation than teachers. Furthermore, demographic characteristics indicated that educators who are older, more experienced, and highly educated possess higher levels of PSM. Perhaps the most critical discovery was that when comparing education professionals to their public administration counterparts, educators possessed higher levels of public service motivation. These findings have several important implications for education institutions, academic scholars, human resource managers, and leadership preparation programs that would all benefit from all
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Date Issued: 2012
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/3342031
Subject Headings: Motivation (Psychology), Educational leadership, Public administration, Education, Aims and objectives, Education, Social aspects
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: A critical theory analysis of the disproportionate representation of blacks and males participating in Florida's special education programs.
Creator: Allen, Anthony G., College of Education, Department of Educational Leadership and Research Methodology
Abstract/Description: The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 1975 has made a profound impact on millions of children with disabilities who now enjoy their right to a free appropriate public education (FAPE). It is the goal of national policy, endorsed by Congress, to ensure equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency for individuals with disabilities. With the enactment of IDEA, it ensures that all children, who participate in special education...
Show moreThe Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 1975 has made a profound impact on millions of children with disabilities who now enjoy their right to a free appropriate public education (FAPE). It is the goal of national policy, endorsed by Congress, to ensure equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency for individuals with disabilities. With the enactment of IDEA, it ensures that all children, who participate in special education programs, have equal access to education. However, since IDEA's inception, a disproportionate number of African Americans children have been placed, or rather, misplaced in special education programs. African American students are three times more likely than Whites to be placed into categories as needing services in special education programs, making them subject to less demanding schoolwork, to more restrictive classrooms, and to isolation from their peers. For the purpose of this study, the goals were (a) to determine if there is disproportional representation of Black students and male students in the three categories of Educable Mentally Handicapped, Emotionally Handicapped, and Specific Learning Disabled and (b) to address whether the factors school districts' socioeconomic status, minority rate, and racial composition of instructional and administrative staff predict the representation of Black students and male students who participate in special education programs. A quantitative method, including the three disproportionality calculation methods of Composition Index (CI), Risk Index (RI), and Odds Ratio (OR), was employed to respond to the six research questions and test six corresponding null hypotheses. Sixty-seven school districts in the State of Florida were identified for data collection and analysis., The enrollment data for the calculations covered AY 2005- 2009. Critical Race Theory (CRT) served as the lens through which to analyze the findings and discus the implications therein. It is clear that the problem of disproportionate representation is complex and the resolution to the problem is not an easy one. This study found that there was a relationship between the representation of Black students and male students in special education programs and the predictor variables. Statistical analyses revealed that socioeconomic status of the school district, minority rate, and racial composition of instructional and administrative staff predicted the disproportional representation. Critical Race Theory, which served as a methodological framework was employed to help in examining and challenging the manner in which race and racism clearly impacts practices and procedures in the special education referral process. CRT utilized the social construction of race and the role it plays in the education policies that affect minorities. As with any intellectual movement, CRT builds its scholarship upon certain theoretical pillars. The basic tenets of CR T include ordinariness, interest convergence, social construction, differential racialization, and legal story telling. For the purpose of this research, only the tenets of ordinariness, interest convergence, social construction, and differential racialization were examined in the context of disproportionate representation of black students and male students in special education.
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Date Issued: 2010
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/2867333
Subject Headings: Discrimination in educations, Racism in education, Education, Social aspects, Multicultural education, Learning disabled children, Identification
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Advanced Placement (AP) social studies teachers' use of academic course blogs as a supplemental resource for student learning.
Creator: Alper, Seth., College of Education, Department of Curriculum, Culture, and Educational Inquiry
Abstract/Description: This mixed-methods study investigated the relationship between Advanced Placement (AP) social studies teachers' utilization of academic course blogs and student achievement. Simultaneously, the study examined the participating teachers' perceptions on the use of course blogs and other social media as supplemental learning resources. The study further explored a possible moderating effect of the social studies subject on student achievement and a possible moderating effect of students'...
Show moreThis mixed-methods study investigated the relationship between Advanced Placement (AP) social studies teachers' utilization of academic course blogs and student achievement. Simultaneously, the study examined the participating teachers' perceptions on the use of course blogs and other social media as supplemental learning resources. The study further explored a possible moderating effect of the social studies subject on student achievement and a possible moderating effect of students' previous academic blog usage on student achievement within the study. Quantitative data were collected from students' pre-tests and unit tests scores and analyzed for statistical significance. Qualitative data were collected through teacher-generated notes during the blogs, individual interviews, and a follow-up focus group interview. The results of this study indicated that there was no overall significant difference in student achievement between the blogging and non-blogging groups. On the contrary , a significant interaction between the social studies subject area and the use of academic course blogs was found when examining student achievement. However, this practical interaction was revealed to be a weak one. Further findings indicated that there was no significant interaction between students' previous blog usage and academic achievement during the study. From the qualitative data, participating teachers perceived the course blogs to be potentially advantageous for students and themselves, yet expressed frustration when implementing the course blogs with their students. Instead, they endorsed the academic use of Facebook, a resource that some students from two participating courses separately utilized instead of (or in addition to) the course blogs during the study. Teachers further expressed concern about relinquishing their subject knowledge and AP expertise to readily available course content on the Internet. Implications and suggestions for future f or AP social studi, teachers' promising use of Facebook and for researchers investigating the use of socail media at the high school level.
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Date Issued: 2013
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/3360744
Subject Headings: Social sciences, Study and teaching (Secondary), Methodology, Information resources, Evaluation, Internet in education, Social aspects, Constructivism (Education)
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: The effects of target entitativity and group affiliation on the processing of persuasive messages.
Creator: Balazs, Karoly I., Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: This research addresses the question of whether individuals or groups induce deeper message processing of persuasive messages. An interaction between group entitativity and whether the group is an ingroup or an outgroup is predicted, where ingroups low on entitativity and outgroups high on entitativity are expected to induce deeper message processing. Entitativity measures the extent an aggregate of people is seen as a group (D. T. Campbell, 1958). Previous research shows contradictory...
Show moreThis research addresses the question of whether individuals or groups induce deeper message processing of persuasive messages. An interaction between group entitativity and whether the group is an ingroup or an outgroup is predicted, where ingroups low on entitativity and outgroups high on entitativity are expected to induce deeper message processing. Entitativity measures the extent an aggregate of people is seen as a group (D. T. Campbell, 1958). Previous research shows contradictory results. S. G. Harkins and R. E. Petty (1987) have shown that high entitativity causes more message focus than low entitativity. R. J. Rydell and A. R. McConnell (2005) have shown that low entitativity causes more message focus than high entitativity. Hypotheses were not supported by the data. Post hoc analyses suggest that motivation to process persons and messages was greatest in the high entitativity ingroup condition. Predictions were revised by adding motivation as a variable.
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Date Issued: 2010
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/2100578
Subject Headings: Stereotypes (Social psychology), Communication, Social aspects, Interpersonal communication, Philosophy, Social perception, Persuasion (Psychology)
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Democratization and exogenous cultural influence: Western mass media and democratic consolidation in Eastern Europe.
Creator: Batey, John R., Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of Political Science
Abstract/Description: Democratic forms of government are either consolidating democratic institutions or unraveling into authoritarianism in the former Soviet Union. Among the possible causes of each success or failure to consolidate democracy is the character of civil society and its cultural proximity to long-standing, modern state-based, consolidated democracies of the West. What impact does Western or Westernized media have upon the indigenous civil societies of Eastern Europe, and is this impact sufficient to...
Show moreDemocratic forms of government are either consolidating democratic institutions or unraveling into authoritarianism in the former Soviet Union. Among the possible causes of each success or failure to consolidate democracy is the character of civil society and its cultural proximity to long-standing, modern state-based, consolidated democracies of the West. What impact does Western or Westernized media have upon the indigenous civil societies of Eastern Europe, and is this impact sufficient to consolidate democracy among the states of the former Soviet Union? As case studies, Eastern Europe contains two states, Estonia and Russia, where democracy has either succeeded or failed alongside the presence of exogenous cultural influence in the form of Western or Westernized television broadcast media. To what extent does the presence of Western broadcast media and associated cultural memes predict the iv consolidation of democratic political values, and how ought any impact of these memes be interpreted in the light of modernity, Eurocentricity and cultural hegemony? To account for the impact of exogenous cultural influence, foreign policy prescriptions that encourage the growth of indigenous, mimetic, democratic civic culture would appear to be an effective means of supporting democracy in the emerging democracies of Eastern Europe.
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Date Issued: 2013
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/3360741
Subject Headings: Post-communism, Post-communism, Social aspects, Democratization, Mass media policy, Mass media, Political aspects, Politics and government
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Does physical fitness mediate the physiological and perceptual responses to 10-minutes of chest compression-only CPR?.
Creator: Berrones, Adam J., College of Education, Department of Exercise Science and Health Promotion
Abstract/Description: Purpose: To evaluate the influence of physical fitness on the metabolic and perceptual responses to chest compression-only (CCO) CPR. Methods: In a counterbalanced design, forty-seven CPR-certified participants were randomized to perform: 1) a fitness assessment in which muscular (e.g., push-ups = PU) and cardiorespiratory endurance (e.g., step test recovery heart rate = RHR) were determined, and 2) a 10-minute CCO-CPR trial in which the heart rate (HR) response and ratings of perceived...
Show morePurpose: To evaluate the influence of physical fitness on the metabolic and perceptual responses to chest compression-only (CCO) CPR. Methods: In a counterbalanced design, forty-seven CPR-certified participants were randomized to perform: 1) a fitness assessment in which muscular (e.g., push-ups = PU) and cardiorespiratory endurance (e.g., step test recovery heart rate = RHR) were determined, and 2) a 10-minute CCO-CPR trial in which the heart rate (HR) response and ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) were determined. Results: Both PU and RHR were significantly correlated to the HR response to CCO-CPR (r = - 0.45, p < 0.01; r = 0.54, p < 0.001). PU were significantly correlated to RPE: local muscular (r = - 0.43; p < 0.01), central (r = - 0.45; p < 0.01), and over-all (r = - 0.39; p < 0.01). Conclusions: Greater physical fitness lessens the metabolic and perceptual strain to CCO-CPR.
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Date Issued: 2010
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/2953205
Subject Headings: CPR (First aid), Social aspects, First aid in illness and injury, Emergency medical services, Outcome assessment (Medical care)
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Dimensions of sexist beliefs and psychosocial adjustment in childhood.
Creator: Bidmead, Sarah, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: The levels of 3 dimensions of sexism and 13 measures of psychosocial adjustment were assessed in 236 children in grades 4 through 8. The adjustment measures were factor analyzed to produce 5 adjustment factors. Analysis revealed that one of the factors, peer-reported prosocial tendencies, was moderately and negatively correlated with two of three measures of sexism. This effect was more pronounced for girls than for boys. Another factor, body self-esteem, was negatively correlated with one of...
Show moreThe levels of 3 dimensions of sexism and 13 measures of psychosocial adjustment were assessed in 236 children in grades 4 through 8. The adjustment measures were factor analyzed to produce 5 adjustment factors. Analysis revealed that one of the factors, peer-reported prosocial tendencies, was moderately and negatively correlated with two of three measures of sexism. This effect was more pronounced for girls than for boys. Another factor, body self-esteem, was negatively correlated with one of the measures of sexism for girls. The findings are congruent with the view that traditionally sexist ideology may detrimentally impact children's psychosocial adjustment.
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Date Issued: 2009
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/186674
Subject Headings: Adjustment (Psychology) in children, Sex differences (Psychology), Sex role in chldren, Body image, Social aspects
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Attitudes toward gun control laws: exploring relationships in recent gathered data.
Creator: Borkowski, Elizabeth., College for Design and Social Inquiry, School of Criminology and Criminal Justice
Abstract/Description: Recently, empirical attention has been directed toward understanding public opinion about gun control laws. Despite this focus, three gaps are evident in extant scholarship. First, few current examinations have relied on recently collected, national data to explore predictors of public attitudes. Second, relatively little work systematically investigates whether type of weapon bans (e.g. handgun versus semi-automatic weapon) affects public support for a given gun control initiative. Third,...
Show moreRecently, empirical attention has been directed toward understanding public opinion about gun control laws. Despite this focus, three gaps are evident in extant scholarship. First, few current examinations have relied on recently collected, national data to explore predictors of public attitudes. Second, relatively little work systematically investigates whether type of weapon bans (e.g. handgun versus semi-automatic weapon) affects public support for a given gun control initiative. Third, and importantly, the general focus in prediction support for gun control measures has been on social and demographic factors. Little is known from a theoretical perspective about how other variables - such as knowledge of Constitutinal issues or perceptions of the U.S. Supreme Court - affect public attitudes toward gun control. Using national poll data collected in 2011 by Time magazine, this study addresses these research gaps by estimating several logistic regression analyses. Research and policy implications are discussed.
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Date Issued: 2012
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/3358285
Subject Headings: Gun control, Political aspects, Gun control, Social aspects, Gun control, Statistics, Firearms, Law and legislation, FIrearms ownership, Social aspects, Firearms and crime, Public opinion
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: The coastal Ecuadorian Travestâi: an analysis of social space.
Creator: Brooks, Eve E., Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of Anthropology
Abstract/Description: This research is based on an ethnographic study conducted in 2008. The study took place in Ecuador's coastal province of Manabâi and investigates the lives of a community of transvestite males, known locally as travestâis. This research holds that the social space in which the travestâis live and work, in Puerto Lopez, is negotiated and maintained through a complex interchange of three key factors: the experience of mother's love, the local economy, and sexual desire. The social space itself...
Show moreThis research is based on an ethnographic study conducted in 2008. The study took place in Ecuador's coastal province of Manabâi and investigates the lives of a community of transvestite males, known locally as travestâis. This research holds that the social space in which the travestâis live and work, in Puerto Lopez, is negotiated and maintained through a complex interchange of three key factors: the experience of mother's love, the local economy, and sexual desire. The social space itself is defined as a "binary passage." Most of the travestâis are employed as hairdressers, and they draw a wide range of clientele from Puerto Lopez and surrounding smaller villages. Yet, how is it that travestâis can lead open and productive lives in a region that highly values machismo? This research focuses on both the origins of the travestâis' social space and the means by which it is maintained through key discourses.
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Date Issued: 2009
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/368610
Subject Headings: Transvestism, Social aspects, Gender identity, Homosexuality, Social aspects, Men, Sexual behavior
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Vetting sources in social media environments: strategies emplyed by journalists of The Palm Beach Post.
Creator: Brown, Michelle D., Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, School of Communication and Multimedia Studies
Abstract/Description: This qualitative research study explores the relationship between reducing uncertainty and assigning source credibility in the context of social media sites (SMS) and examines the effect of uncertainty reduction within the social media environment on the development of relationships between journalists and their sources. For this study, interviews were conducted with professional journalists to determine whether uncertainty was reduced and credibility was established with sources via SMS (i.e...
Show moreThis qualitative research study explores the relationship between reducing uncertainty and assigning source credibility in the context of social media sites (SMS) and examines the effect of uncertainty reduction within the social media environment on the development of relationships between journalists and their sources. For this study, interviews were conducted with professional journalists to determine whether uncertainty was reduced and credibility was established with sources via SMS (i.e., Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn) and what theoretical strategies journalists used to reduce their uncertainty. The study also aims to determine if correlations exist between a reporter's age, beat, and/or personal adoption of SMS and the reporter's usage of SMS for source development. The interviews were conducted with 15 journalists of The Palm Beach Post (West Palm Beach, Florida), using a standardized interview protocol. Subjects were asked to voluntarily participate in a face-to-face interview with the researcher. Reporters were selected based upon their gender and cultural ethnicity, which was representative of the newsroom demographics of The Palm Beach Post at that time. This research aims to contribute to the uncertainty reduction theory in the realm of computer-mediated communications, specifically with regard to the use of SMS in forming and maintaining journalist-source relationships.
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Date Issued: 2013
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/3360765
Subject Headings: Digital media, Social aspects, Mass media, Technological innovations, Newspaper publishing, Social aspects, American newspapers, Objectivity, Journalistic ethics, Journalism, Moral and ethical aspects, Newspapers, Sections, columns, etc, Sources
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Multiple birth families, religion, and cultural hegemony: patriarchal constructions in reality television.
Creator: Cittadino, Emily M., Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, School of Communication and Multimedia Studies
Abstract/Description: Reality television programming chronicling the daily workings of multiple birth families within American culture has gained notoriety in recent years. Such programs, especially Discovery Health and TLC's 17, 18 Kids and Counting and TLC's Jon and Kate Plus Ei8ht, film, edit and broadcast the "everyday" life of these families. This research study focuses attention on hegemonic ideologies surrounding family values, motherhood, gender roles and religious faith, illuminated through textual and...
Show moreReality television programming chronicling the daily workings of multiple birth families within American culture has gained notoriety in recent years. Such programs, especially Discovery Health and TLC's 17, 18 Kids and Counting and TLC's Jon and Kate Plus Ei8ht, film, edit and broadcast the "everyday" life of these families. This research study focuses attention on hegemonic ideologies surrounding family values, motherhood, gender roles and religious faith, illuminated through textual and audience analysis. Working from an interdisciplinary approach combining feminist media and cultural studies, this study finds that hegemonic notions of family values, gender representations, religious faith and conceptions of motherhood are evident to varying degrees in the television texts and accepted by fans who negotiate their meanings online.
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Date Issued: 2010
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/2684311
Subject Headings: Mass media and culture, Feminist theory, Popular culture, Women in popular culture, Reality television programs, Social aspects, Television program genres, Sex role in popular culture
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: The cake is not a lie: narrative structure and aporia in Portal & Portal 2.
Creator: Copeland, Kimberly., Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, School of Communication and Multimedia Studies
Abstract/Description: As puzzle-driven, character based games, Portal and Portal 2, developed by the Valve Corporation, are not only pioneering in their use of narrative, but they also revolutionize the function of aporia. This thesis explores the role of aporia and use of the narrative in the two video games. It will be argued that the games possess a rigid narrative structure, but while the narrative serves as a peripheral construction, there are other structures that contribute to the experience of gameplay....
Show moreAs puzzle-driven, character based games, Portal and Portal 2, developed by the Valve Corporation, are not only pioneering in their use of narrative, but they also revolutionize the function of aporia. This thesis explores the role of aporia and use of the narrative in the two video games. It will be argued that the games possess a rigid narrative structure, but while the narrative serves as a peripheral construction, there are other structures that contribute to the experience of gameplay. The research aims to determine how the games adapt narrative and use it in combination with other elements to move beyond simple play and storytelling. As video games become more widely studied in academia, it is important that they merit and maintain standing ; Portal and Portal 2 not only provide a rich gameplay experience, but also offer a particular interaction not found in other texts.
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Date Issued: 2012
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/3358551
Subject Headings: Computer games, Social aspects, Computer games, Design and construction, Artificial intelligence, Narration (Rhetoric)
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Authenticity of space: an interdisciplinary convergence of the tradition of sacred music and twenty-first century sacred architecture.
Creator: Copher, Daniel., Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of Philosophy
Abstract/Description: The twenty-first century has already seen some aesthetically exciting sacred architectural spaces. Much liturgical music, however, is centuries old. With regard to performing old music, philosophers such as Steven Davies, etc., have debated the aesthetic merits of striving for authenticity of performance. If authenticity is a valid performance aesthetic principle, as I contend it is, the following paradox arises: Some contemporary sacred spaces are the sites of moving, aesthetically valid...
Show moreThe twenty-first century has already seen some aesthetically exciting sacred architectural spaces. Much liturgical music, however, is centuries old. With regard to performing old music, philosophers such as Steven Davies, etc., have debated the aesthetic merits of striving for authenticity of performance. If authenticity is a valid performance aesthetic principle, as I contend it is, the following paradox arises: Some contemporary sacred spaces are the sites of moving, aesthetically valid performances of sacred music. But how is it possible to have aesthetically valid authentic performances of sacred music in twenty-first century sacred spaces?... The question of authenticity in this unique musical genre focuses on performance space, liturgical function, musical instruments, performer/listener interaction, and cultural conditions. ...Using architectural examples constructed in the twenty-first century, this thesis will propose a set of aesthetic criteria for achieving an authentic setting for sacred music from all periods.
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Date Issued: 2012
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/3358555
Subject Headings: Liturgy and architecture, Christianity and the arts, Symbolism in architecture, Church architecture, Design, Organ (Musical instrument), Social aspects
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: The social and environmental effects of shrimp mariculture: case studies of two coastal villages in Ecuador.
Creator: Crider, Mary C., Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Environmental Sciences
Abstract/Description: Shrimp mariculture expansion in developing countries has been criticized for its ecological destruction and the resulting social conflicts. In Ecuador, shrimp pond development particularly affects rural, coastal communities. This study addresses the environmental and social effects of shrimp farming in two Ecuadorian villages, Muisne and Bunche. Interview and survey responses indicate that locals have an overall negative view of the industry. In some instances, such as increased class...
Show moreShrimp mariculture expansion in developing countries has been criticized for its ecological destruction and the resulting social conflicts. In Ecuador, shrimp pond development particularly affects rural, coastal communities. This study addresses the environmental and social effects of shrimp farming in two Ecuadorian villages, Muisne and Bunche. Interview and survey responses indicate that locals have an overall negative view of the industry. In some instances, such as increased class marginalization through reduced access to subsistence collection areas, shrimp farming directly results in conflict. However, the data also demonstrates that ponds are only one of various stressors on mangrove ecosystems. Furthermore, mariculture provides benefits to the community, including increasing employment opportunities, the local economy, and shrimp availability. In spite of these benefits, local negative perception suggests modifications to existing regulations and educational programs are necessary to minimize impacts and help the community understand the multiple factors affecting their ecosystem and livelihoods.
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Date Issued: 2012
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/3342043
Subject Headings: Mariculture, Environmental aspects, Mariculture, Social aspects, Mariculture, Economic aspects, Ecosystem management
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Long-term post-Katrina volunteerism: the ethics of an imported solidarity.
Creator: D'Aloia, Susan., Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of Anthropology
Abstract/Description: The trauma and devastation that resulted from Hurricane Katrina's landfall on August 29, 2005, produced a wide spread public perception of government neglect and ineptitude. Subsequently, a period of nationwide shame and concern for those most affected by the disaster elicited a wave of financial generosity from all social sectors. Yet, by late 2005 the media declared that the majority of Americans had become desensitized to the tragedy and its consequences, coining this shift in public...
Show moreThe trauma and devastation that resulted from Hurricane Katrina's landfall on August 29, 2005, produced a wide spread public perception of government neglect and ineptitude. Subsequently, a period of nationwide shame and concern for those most affected by the disaster elicited a wave of financial generosity from all social sectors. Yet, by late 2005 the media declared that the majority of Americans had become desensitized to the tragedy and its consequences, coining this shift in public perception as "Katrina fatigue." Thousands of volunteers contradicted this phenomenon, however, by performing service in the devastated city of New Orleans. Long-term volunteers defied "Katrina fatigue" by redirecting the trajectory of their lives so they could provide service. Conventionally accepted volunteer theory predicts that volunteers provide service and that their labor operates in conjunction with institutionally supported mechanisms of security and services., However, for the volunteer subjects in this study, Katrina and its immediate aftermath shattered the trust in such institutions. These volunteers did not assume that their service operated in conjunction with state sponsored agencies or corporations. Rather, they viewed their own acts of service as the means of promoting the recovery. This qualitative case study examines the deliberated choices and actions performed by long-term volunteers between the years 2005 and 2009. The primary subjects in this investigation include 15 volunteers who performed long-term and/or repeat delegations of service within organized networks. Volunteer subjects believed that if they did not perform the services they did, these services might not get done. Volunteers internalized contours of the larger political economy and their own perceived role within them. Performing service functioned partially to counteract this internalization and simultaneously redirect their lives., Second Line, a New Orleans street tradition of neighborhood processions, reveals more of what drives the long-term volunteer's desire. The root practice of Second Line processions embodies a form of cognitive liberation for the disenfranchised as the processions interrupt normal arrangements of order and power in the city, albeit temporarily. Volunteers desire to connect with poor and working class Black people in this capacity, and their attempts to do so played out in contexts that sometimes disrupted institutional or corporate power, constituting a demand for change on behalf of Katrina victims.
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Date Issued: 2011
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/3360619
Subject Headings: Hurricane Katrina, 2005, Social aspects, DIsaster relief, Emergency management, Social capital
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: We are what we eat: food consumption and identity in the United States.
Creator: Dates, Marlena Kay., Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of Anthropology
Abstract/Description: In the modern United States, capitalism is the predominant cultural value that structures the food system. The current American relationship to food is strained, at best, as two-thirds of Americans experience overweight and obesity and are at risk for a number of serious health complications. An understanding of the historic and political-economic aspects of the American food system is necessary to address the effects of our modern food habits on our ideas of our selves. This thesis analyzes...
Show moreIn the modern United States, capitalism is the predominant cultural value that structures the food system. The current American relationship to food is strained, at best, as two-thirds of Americans experience overweight and obesity and are at risk for a number of serious health complications. An understanding of the historic and political-economic aspects of the American food system is necessary to address the effects of our modern food habits on our ideas of our selves. This thesis analyzes the types of foods Americans eat, why they make the food choices that they do, how they feel about their eating habits and their habits' effects on their bodies, and how this all relates to our sense of identity as Americans.
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Date Issued: 2009
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/186678
Subject Headings: Food consumption, Food habits, Nutrition, Social aspects, Diet, Popular culture
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Disrupting your social cruise control.
Creator: de Alejo, Adriana Joyce., Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of Visual Arts and Art History
Abstract/Description: This thesis is intended to disrupt society's social cruise control. The goal is to make people stop and think, even if only for a brief moment, about the social conventions that guide and control their daily lives. People become disconnected from one another and their environments through repetition, apathy, and a general obliviousness toward shared moments. Making people more attuned to these moments - essentially creating an opportunity to take a brief pause - as a step toward reconnection....
Show moreThis thesis is intended to disrupt society's social cruise control. The goal is to make people stop and think, even if only for a brief moment, about the social conventions that guide and control their daily lives. People become disconnected from one another and their environments through repetition, apathy, and a general obliviousness toward shared moments. Making people more attuned to these moments - essentially creating an opportunity to take a brief pause - as a step toward reconnection. Social conventions are unique in that they can exist without the consent of the involved parties; the existence of the convention is enough to demand conformity. While it is possible to find graphic design projects that offer some degree of interactivity to draw people into a relationship with a space, projects that encourage social relationships through acknowledgment between people are rare. This thesis will explore ways in which design acts as a catalyst for disruption, while also encouraging interaction and dialogue.
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Date Issued: 2011
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/3170603
Subject Headings: Graphic arts, Communication in art, Performance art, Avant-garde (Aesthetics), Space (Architecture), Social aspects
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: That's SO last century: fashion and modiality in Melville's Typee.
Creator: DeBerry, Tealia., Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of English
Abstract/Description: A literary text is a means for critics to analyze societal influence on the author, and both fashion and body modification serve this same function because they are legible texts with which to interpret the psychological motivations of the wearer in the cultural context in which he or she lives. Fashion theorists such as Roland Barthes and J.C. Flugel have detailed the reasons that they believe dress evolves throughout time, and the following thesis applies their theories to Melville's first...
Show moreA literary text is a means for critics to analyze societal influence on the author, and both fashion and body modification serve this same function because they are legible texts with which to interpret the psychological motivations of the wearer in the cultural context in which he or she lives. Fashion theorists such as Roland Barthes and J.C. Flugel have detailed the reasons that they believe dress evolves throughout time, and the following thesis applies their theories to Melville's first novel Typee. In the first chapter, entitled, "Moral Fibers: Dress as the Extension of Self," much emphasis is given to archetypes of dress such as the veil, the corset and military uniforms in the Orient and the Occident. The second chapter, "Cut From the Same Cloth: Body Modification as Semiotic Modality," discusses ritualistic tattooing as a mode of literary expression.
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Date Issued: 2009
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/215287
Subject Headings: Clothing and dress, Psychology, Fashion, Social aspects, Self-perception in literature, Fashion in literature
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Influence of a professional development module focused on the research-based evidence of the culture and gender bias found in Disney animated fairy tales on preprimary early childhood teachers.
Creator: Doran, Ruth A., College of Education, Department of Curriculum, Culture, and Educational Inquiry
Abstract/Description: Disney commands a strong market presence worldwide in print and multimedia products used for early childhood entertainment. Yet, the gender and cultural bias found in Disney animated fairy tale media has been well documented. Although preprimary early childhood teachers are urged to maintain a multicultural environment that is free of bias and stereotypes, very little training or support is presented to guide preprimary early childhood teachers in the selection of materials for use in their...
Show moreDisney commands a strong market presence worldwide in print and multimedia products used for early childhood entertainment. Yet, the gender and cultural bias found in Disney animated fairy tale media has been well documented. Although preprimary early childhood teachers are urged to maintain a multicultural environment that is free of bias and stereotypes, very little training or support is presented to guide preprimary early childhood teachers in the selection of materials for use in their preprimary early childhood classrooms. The study sought to investigate the influence of a professional development module focused on the gender and cultural bias found in Disney animated fairy tale media on preprimary early childhood teachers. How would they respond to this professional development module? Would it change their intentions to use Disney animated fairy tale media with preprimary early childhood children? Would the participation in this preprimary early childhood professional development module actually change their practice? Using both quantitative and qualitative inquiries, participating preprimary early education teachers reported mixed findings. While some preprimary early childhood teachers were clearly influenced by their discovery of the existence of bias in this media, others revealed a cognitive dissonance from a strong personal and emotional attachment to Disney animated fairy tale media products juxtaposed against the evidence of cultural and gender bias found in the media. Implications and suggestions for future research included the expansion of professional development modules and higher education/teacher education to include the study and consideration of the content of children's media., Policymakers and advocates need to address concerns of bias found in children's media with respect to gender and cultural bias development during the preoperative developmental stage of preprimary children. Further, interdisciplinary discussion needs to the concern of the influence of media on the holistic development of young children.
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Date Issued: 2009
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/186328
Subject Headings: Teachers, In-service training, Social aspects, Education, Preschool, School improvement programs, Curriculum planning, Multicultural education
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: More than just a cup of tea.
Creator: Franklin-Jeune, Sacha, Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College
Abstract/Description: Tea is a beverage consumed by individuals from a multitude of different cultures. It is often taken up with open arms and welcomed as a prominient compnent of cultures, diets, and daily social interactions. The value of tea is based as much on its physical cultures that enjoy tea interact with the beverage in different ways, I argue that tea has its own culture. From interviews with four informants, I found three dominant components of the tea culture that have swayed them to join : (1) tea...
Show moreTea is a beverage consumed by individuals from a multitude of different cultures. It is often taken up with open arms and welcomed as a prominient compnent of cultures, diets, and daily social interactions. The value of tea is based as much on its physical cultures that enjoy tea interact with the beverage in different ways, I argue that tea has its own culture. From interviews with four informants, I found three dominant components of the tea culture that have swayed them to join : (1) tea can be a medium for social gatherings, (2) tea is beneficial to the mind and body, (3) people take the time to fully enjoy the experience. This thesis seeks to understand the value tea has for Floridian tea enthusiasts, the roots of the tea culture, and what it is about tea that has caused many to become "addicted".
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Date Issued: 2012
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/3359299
Subject Headings: Tea trade, History, Tea, Social aspects, Tea, Health aspects, Tea, History, Japanese tea ceremony, Social aspects, Tea, History, Tea, History, Tea, History
Format: Document (PDF)

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