Browsing Sociology Electronic Theses and Dissertations (UMKC) by Thesis Department "Sociology (UMKC)"
Now showing items 1-20 of 30
-
Adding Insult to Injury: How Neoliberal Ideology Convinces the Disadvantaged to Blame Themselves for Poor Health
(2019)Health outcomes are strongly tied to social class. Childhood environment, level of education, income, and even neighborhood characteristics are strongly correlated with negative health outcomes such as obesity, diabetes, ... -
Aspiration Differences in Female High School Students Based on Parents' Education Level
(2015-05-26)This study uses data from 61 in-depth interviews with high school junior and senior girls to examine differences in educational aspirations by parental education level. By examining how young adults’ aspirations are ... -
Barriers to Social Change: Neoliberalism and the Justification of the Status-Quo among Low-Income African Americans
(2016)Neoliberalism has been the dominant political-economic model in the United States since Ronald Reagan’s election in 1980 (Harvey, 2005). Few studies have shown how the political-economic model of neoliberalism influences ... -
Consumer holiday structure: an analysis of Christian holiday patterns and consumer ritual practice in America
(University of Missouri--Kansas City, 2011-01-20)This thesis explores the rituals that reinforce American capitalist consumerism, specifically focusing on the Christian holiday calendar structure. Major Christian holidays are viewed as complex sets and repeated patterns, ... -
Containment in the City: Boundaries, Bodies, and the Politics of Urban Space
(University of Missouri--Kansas City, 2011-01-20)The organization of urban space accommodating the rapid movement of the automobile facilitates a kind of forgetting, through the act of driving, and creates a sense of containment, through the built environment itself. ... -
Dance as a Community of Practice: Exploring Dance Groups in the Kansas City Area through the Lifespan
(2015-08-04)This dissertation examines the embodied cultural practice of dance among several groups in the Kansas City area. The dance groups were studied as Communities of Practice (CoP), as outlined in the Lave-Wenger model of ... -
"Defective childhoods": television news and the social construction of the 'child in need'
(2013)The modern media, particularly television news, produces and airs news reports and special programs presenting social justice and human rights stories. Some of these news reports feature children with identified emotional, ... -
Determinants of Earnings for Asian Immigrants in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area
(University of Missouri--Kansas City, 2010)This thesis examines the determinants of earnings for Asian immigrants in the Midwest of the United States. It tests simultaneously three theoretical explanations--assimilation, human capital, and job competition--for the ... -
Detrimental Determinants: The Impacts of Neoliberalism on Pro-Environmental Behaviors
(2015-07-28)The mounting evidence of anthropogenic climate change in the past 30 years has beckoned the social sciences to illuminate and address the complex phenomena underlying actions that impact the environment. While many studies ... -
Distinction in death: an analysis of individuality, sociality, and brand consumption in contemporary American funeral practices
(University of Missouri--Kansas City, 2012)To date, a growing number of contemporary Americans have come to trust that recognizable commodity brands and personal consumer preferences now provide the best means of personalizing funerals and communicating individualized ... -
The effect of social service agencies on crime rates in Kansas City, Missouri
(University of Missouri--Kansas City, 2012-06-13)This thesis examines whether social service agencies mediate the effects of social disorganization and subculture on crime in Kansas City, Missouri. Variables from social disorganization and subculture theory are combined ... -
Fixing "the man problem": masculine discourse in Christian men's ministries
(University of Missouri--Kansas City, 2012-06-15)"The Man Problem" according to Christian evangelist Patrick Morley, is the result of men's lack of knowledge towards their rightful gender role within their family and community and is "the root cause behind virtually ... -
Governing Corporations: Corporate Social Responsibility and the Expanding Role of Business in Society
(univ, 2018)This thesis explores the evolving role of business in society and the recent development of corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs, in order to form a greater understanding of the changing nature of contemporary ... -
Health care access of Hispanic immigrants in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area
(University of Missouri–Kansas City, 2016)The purpose of this study is to discover what factors affect health care access for Hispanics in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The Hispanic population is the largest and fastest growing immigrant groups in the US and ... -
"Here's me in a nutshell": the textual performance of self in male online dating profiles
(University of Missouri--Kansas City, 2012-03-13)Online dating has fast become an acceptable avenue through which to pursue romantic partners in the United States. Approximately one it ten American internet-using adults--16 million people--have personally visited dating ... -
Investigating trustworthiness and tolerance of others and shared power within youth-adult partnerships
(University of Mssouri--Kansas City, 2000)The purpose of this study was to broaden the limited body of research concerning the relationship between trustworthiness and tolerance of others and shared power within a youth-adult partnership. The theoretical models ... -
Modernizing the public space: gender identities, multiple modernities, and space politics in Tehran
(2013)After the Islamic Revolution of 1979 in Iran, surprisingly, the presence of Iranian women in public spaces dramatically increased. Despite this recent change in women's presence in public spaces, Iranian women, like in ... -
Motives Relating to Internet Usage Among Korean Adolescents
(University of Missouri--Kansas City, 2010)Previous studies have shown that the Internet influences adolescents' development and their lives. Adolescents' Internet usage is simultaneously affected by variables such as demographics, personal characteristics and ... -
A Narrative Inquiry and Self–Study of Practice Investigation into Experiences with Older Adults and Aging via an Online College–Level Gerontology Course
(2016)The population of older adults in the United States is increasing to new heights. Society members trained in gerontological education, health care of elders, and service providers for older adults will be needed in the ... -
Neo-paganism: ritual forged by the Burning Times
(University of Missouri--Kansas City, 2012-01-10)The Burning Times has been of interest to both scholars and practitioners alike over the past few decades. The interest typically focuses on those that died and the discrepancy of the number of those who perished. While ...