Sociology Department Theses and Dissertations

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The IUPUI Department of Sociology offers a Master of Arts degree specifically designed to prepare its students for careers conducting applied and policy-oriented research, and to equip those already in the workforce with the critical skills necessary for assessing and applying sociological knowledge in their everyday responsibilities.

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The Body Images of Black and White Women at an Urban University
(2007-06-11) Vincent, Sarah M.; Foote-Ardah, Carrie Elizabeth
This thesis examined the body images of Black and White women at an urban university. Self perception of body image may be positive or negative, healthy or unhealthy, and may be influenced by various factors. Qualitative interviews were completed with eight Black and eight White non-Hispanic female college students. A common theme emerged regarding images of beautiful and ideal bodies. The women held similar standards of beauty for White and Black women with one exception: White women were expected to be thinner whereas Black women were expected to be heavier. In addition, the women were of a common mind with regard to the influence of men, fashion, and relationships with female family members on their body images. Racial differences emerged when the women discussed male perceptions of female bodies. Women of both races believed that racial and ethnic minority men were more accepting of women with diverse body types than were White men. Familial influences on body image included the mother-daughter relationship and a new finding of the sister-sister relationship. Finally, an emergent and unexpected finding centered on a woman's history of sexual and physical abuse. Each of the six women who experienced sexual or physical abuse reported some level of negative body imagery. These findings are discussed in the context of the existing body image literature and recommendations are made regarding directions for future research.
The Straw that Broke the Camel's Back? A Sociological Analysis of Marriage and Law School
(2007-06-04T20:26:35Z) McQuillan, Deanna Boyd; Foote-Ardah, Carrie Elizabeth; Haas, Linda; Howard, Jay
This Master's thesis is based on a qualitative study which aimed to understand the perspectives of married male and female law students and the ways in which they managed the interaction between law school and family life. The data was gathered from in-depth interviews with 23 married law students at an urban university. The spillover model was used to address both how being married impacts students' school experiences, as well as to look at how the law school experience influences students' families. In an analysis of marriage-to-school spillover, the married law students reported feeling that they were having a non-normative law school experience as a result of their marital and parenthood statuses and they often compared their experiences to that of an "unmarried other" group of more traditional students. In an analysis of school-to-marriage spillover, students reported various types of strains that resulted from missing out on parts of a perceived normal married life as a result of the demands of law school. Several key differences were noted between the ways male and female students handled the often competing demands of marriage, children, and law school. The implications for the families as well as for legal education are discussed.
Competing Frames? The War on Terror in Campaign Rhetoric
(2007-06) Kaufman, Heather L.; Seybold, Peter James, 1950-; Wittberg, Patricia; Foote, Carrie
The Iraq War and the War on Terror were pivotal issues in the presidential race for the White House in 2004. Competing frames about the meaning of September 11, 2001, terrorism, and American power were constructed by the rival candidates and established a limited debate that marginalized alternative interpretations of war and peace. It is likely that the dilemma over U.S. forces in Iraq and the War on Terror will continue to be a major issue in the upcoming 2008 Presidential Election. Therefore, the campaign speeches of the presidential candidates, President George W. Bush and Senator John Kerry, during the 2004 Election regarding terrorism were important to understanding the themes that initiated public debate in the U.S. about the conflict in Iraq and the War on Terror. In this document analysis, these candidates’ public addresses illustrated how the role of the U.S. power to combat terrorism shaped a particular perspective about the post-9/11 world. Ideas that challenged “official” debate about war and national security were excluded from mainstream media coverage of the campaign. In order to examine the narrow debate over terrorism and how alternative “ways of seeing” war have been and continue to be marginalized, this study compared how the candidates framed the war in contrast to anti-war voices. Cindy Sheehan, who is an emergent leader in the peace and social justice movement, and more “official” voices of dissent like Representative Dennis Kucinich, have criticized “official” framing of the war. Dissenting perspectives about the Iraq War and the War on Terror invite a different understanding about U.S. hegemony, terrorism, and the consequences of the War on Terror for foreign and domestic policies. The impact of the war upon domestic policy and national crises, such as the widely televised and heavily criticized federal response to Hurricane Katrina Summer 2005, were examined to explore how domestic crises undermine “official” framing of the Iraq War and the War on Terror and empower alternative understandings of war and peace.
Expectations and Experiences of First-Time Mothers
(2008-08-22T14:01:43Z) Freund, Andrea; Gardner, Carol Brooks
The aim of this qualitative study was to explore the expectations and experiences first-time mothers have before, during, and after pregnancy. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with fifteen first-time mothers, who gave birth within eighteen months before the date of the interview, and an additional interview was included with a first-time pregnant woman in her third trimester (N=16). The method of analysis was based on grounded theory, including line-by-line coding, focused coding and memo writing. Several themes emerged in the process. Approximately 70 percent of the women in this study became pregnant unintentionally. All of them described a certain amount of anxiety and fear about giving birth and becoming a mother. The measures taken in regard to activities and nutrition to improve pregnancy outcome were described. The most disconcerting findings were how the birth went for many of the women and the subject of postpartum emotional difficulties. Another theme was the different factors that negatively influenced the experience of giving birth. All of the women wanted to give birth vaginally and without medication, but seven of the women had to have medical interventions during birth - were administered Pitocin, mechanically induced, or had C-sections - which influenced their postpartum mental and emotional state severely. The disappointment after complications and diversions from a birth plan were significant. Fifty percent of the participating women reported to have suffered from postpartum emotional disorders, and three of them did not seek any help. Feelings of failure and low self-value due to emotional difficulties were described several times and also appeared in relation with body image issues. Physical changes, during and after pregnancy, were another major theme among the women. Transitions in their relationships were also mentioned in the interviews. Concluding, self-stigmatization was a main thread throughout the interviews. These findings are analyzed in relation to existing literature and the implications for future research are being discussed.
Are You My Nurse? An Examination of Men in Nursing
(2008-08-22T14:57:14Z) Smith, Tiffany Marie; Haas, Linda
This project examined several research questions using survey research of men working in nursing at a Midwestern hospital corporation. The first is why do men enter a nontraditional occupation, such as nursing? Second, what are their experiences working in nursing, as a nontraditional occupation for men? What problems do they encounter, such as discrimination or stereotyping? What advantages do they enjoy, such as promotions or preferential treatment? Third, what factors cause men to stay in nursing for long periods of time? Answers to these questions can help us understand how more men might be recruited to enter nursing, including breaking down the challenges men in nursing might face.
You or Me? Gender and Graduate Students' Orientations Toward Sacrifice and Migration
(2009-06-23T21:48:46Z) Patterson, Sarah Elizabeth; Haas, Linda; Seybold, Peter; Bell, David C.
In an exploratory study of graduate students moving expectations, a self-administered survey was utilized to examine the compromises and sacrifices they expect themselves or their potential partners to be making in moving decisions, as well as their willingness to sacrifice or ask their partner to sacrifice in a move. This study focuses on this work-life decision due to its being understudied in previous literature; it aims to start to establish migration decisions as an important work-family balance topic as well as explore what role gender plays in expectations and willingness to move, especially regarding who sacrifices in a moving decision. The study focused on the potential impact of gender on migration orientations, comparing men’s and women’s attitudes. It also looked at the influence of gender ideology, program’s gender composition, perceived transportability, salary, partner’s relative salary and Money as Power attitudes as well as some demographic data. Previous literature has suggested that women are more likely to be willing to sacrifice in a moving decision while men are more willing to ask their partners to do so. Findings from this study generally confirm this. Some individual factors related to being willing to ask the partner to sacrifice more were: holding a traditional gender ideology, being in a male-dominated program, having a higher expected salary, belief in money as power, and belief in moving as important to a career. Results also suggest that this is a fruitful area for further study.
Thai breast cancer patients: experiences and views about photographs of other women with the same disease
(2010-02-26T19:10:34Z) Padunchewit, Jularut; Blinn-Pike, Lynn; Foote, Carrie E.; Fife, Betsy Louise
Photographs invite women to construct their own meanings of the self and illness without boundaries of race, ethnicity, and culture differences. This study analyzed 15 intensive interviews with 15 Asian (Thai) women in Thailand. The results are divided into two parts. In part I, grounded theory analyses revealed four major themes of experiences of Asian (Thai) female breast cancer survivors, including: (1) experiencing uncertainty of signs and symptoms, (2) entering the medical establishment, (3) experiencing self-change after treatment, and, (4) desiring to return to normality. In part II, the 15 women were shown a postmodern artistic photo book of American women who have breast cancer. The goal was to assess how they related to American women faced with their own stories of breast cancer. The results of the postmodern artistic photo book showed that Asian (Thai) women narrated their illness experiences in both modern and postmodern ways. This study not only revealed the sociological perspectives of Asian (Thai) women who suffered from breast cancer as they experienced a four-stage process, but enhanced our understanding of how disease experiences are socially constructed. In addition, this study provides an opportunity for medical systems in both the East and the West to use postmodern artistic photo books of women with breast cancer for forging ties with others, including patients, patients’ families, hospitals, and caregivers.
A Rhetoric of Betrayal: Military Sexual Trauma and the Reported Experiences of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom Women Veterans
(2010-04-01T15:30:02Z) Aktepy, Sarah Louise; Gardner, Carol Brooks; Foote, Carrie E.; Pike, Lynn M.
The primary objective of this pilot study was to understand the military experiences of OEF/OIF women veterans. Seven women veterans described accounts of sexual harassment and sexual assault, also known in the Veteran Health Administration (VHA) context as Military Sexual Trauma (MST). The prevalence and dialogue of MST both explicitly and implicitly throughout all the interviews justified examining MST on its own. As an alternative to tracking new cases of MST, this thesis provides an examination of the rhetoric of betrayal and suggests that objective knowledge of MST does not exist apart from such social conditions and one’s interpretations of them. Betrayal emerged as the way in which women veterans understood and made meaning of their MST experiences during the claims-making process. Women veterans incorporated strategies to manage the sexual harassment and sexual assault they experienced while in the military environment, since reporting MST was actively discouraged. Findings from this study suggest that the way we approach and understand MST as a social problem needs to be reconsidered and further examined.
Documenting the Use of Appearances Among the DJ and Nightclub Patrons
(2010-05-03T19:45:09Z) Conner, Christopher Thomas; Pike, Lynn; Foote, Carrie E.; Gardner, Carol Brooks
This is a photo-documentary study of two themes found within the literature on fabulous appearances: the gay nightclub patron and the club DJ. This study used a large Midwestern gay nightclub as the field setting. Fabulousness involves the way patrons costume themselves in order to communicate status within the setting. This study revealed that participants in the setting utilize three different types of self-presentation. These types embody desirable characteristics and ideas of attractiveness that revolve around power, establishing a normalized “gay” identity, and using surreal based characteristics to achieve their goal of being noticed. The DJs served as informal organizers through their appearances and performances. Analysis of the DJ role found that DJs provide visual cues for other participants in the setting on how to act, dance, dress, and behave. This study is the first in depth examination of the role of the DJ and the communicative processes between the DJ and dancers in gay nightclubs.
Coping with Stigma: An Adult Learners' Perspective
(2010-07-19T19:38:50Z) Solinski, Cynthia Leigh; Seybold, Peter James, 1950-; Wittberg, Patricia, 1947-; Leland, Christine
This study contributes to the research on stigma and adult literacy by giving voice to an understudied and marginalized group. It allows adults with literacy challenges to elaborate on how they accomplish everyday activities, to describe what strategies they use to manage stigma, and to tell their stories about how stigma has affected various domains of their lives. This study also explores some participants' experience with stigma during childhood and its impact on their self-esteem and self-efficacy for learning. It situates these findings in a larger social context by analyzing changes in self-concept and lifelong learning goals of adult learners who have been participating in a literacy program for at least two years.

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