Browsing by Subject "Culture"
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Item A center for the study of Mexican culture(1959-12) Davis, James A.Item A cultural center(1959-05) Carson, John M.Item An American mythology: William Carlos Williams and the poetics of modernism(Texas Tech University, 2005-08) Jasmin, James B.; Conrad, Bryce D.; Samson, John; Wenthe, WilliamThe modernist period (1920 to 1960) in America was a time of diverse and complex cultural upheaval. Modern poets both at home and abroad attempted to track and record the events of the time, but the modernist approach to both history and poetics was different in America than in England and Europe. William Carlos Williams, and, to some extent, Wallace Stevens and Hart Crane, defined what was “American” in their verse. To do so, a distancing from traditional notions of history, literature and other disciplines became one of the central themes of their work. This dissertation is a study of the American modernists and their approach to a new system of national letters. For this work’s purpose, “myth” is defined as the practices, beliefs, customs, philosophy and ideology of American culture in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Using the approach of the poet as the “writer of culture,” I examine how Williams and the other modernist poets redefined American culture through the reification of values, ideals and social practices. While I take the position that culture is responsible for the “break” from European tradition, I argue that the poet is responsible for mapping, defining and cataloguing the development and evolution of this break. The “myth” of America is thus separate from its constructed history; it is a more authentic portrait of American culture.Item Applying moral theory in practice : frequently violated moral domains in banned advertisements(2012-12) Jairam, Dhivya; Lewis, Robert J. (Assistant professor); Mackert, MikeThis professional report explores Haidt and Joseph's "Moral Foundations Theory" as a framework to better review advertising content to prevent 'offensive advertising' in the advent of standardized global advertising. As a framework, this theory can showcase the levels of morality within any culture across five domains (care, fairness, authority, ingroup loyalty and purity) thus providing marketers and advertisers alike the opportunity to potentially avoid offending target audiences in any culture. Two studies, a text study and a visual study, of banned advertisements' in India, were conducted with regards to why they were banned and what moral domains were violated in each case. The implications of the study for media practitioners were also provided.Item The art of convention : cognitive foundations of cultural learning(2013-12) Clegg, Jennifer Marie; Legare, Cristine H.While much research has explored the role of imitation in children’s learning of instrumental skills (Call et al., 2005; Carpenter et al., 2002; Gleissner et al., 2000; Lyons et al., 2007; Whiten et al., 2009), very little is known about the link between imitation and the acquisition of cultural conventional behavior. New research suggests that children rely on a variety of social and contextual cues when determining when to imitate with high or low fidelity and that these cues may reflect children’s interpretation of a task as either instrumental or conventional (Herrmann et al., 2013). Previous work examining children’s imitation has primarily used either unfamiliar, causally opaque object manipulation tasks (Herrmann et al., 2013) or complex instrumental tasks that make use of materials used in novel ways (Lyons et al., 2007; Williamson & Meltzoff, 2011), but research has yet to explore children’s imitation when presented with a causally accessible and familiar instrumental task. Drawing from an oft-observed classroom craft, the present study examined children’s reasoning about a necklace-making task when they were presented with either a conventional or an instrumental framing for the task and the cognitive consequences of this reasoning.Item Being a female engineer: identity construction and resistance of women in engineering schools(Texas A&M University, 2006-10-30) Chu, HyejinCompared to other professions, women's representation in engineering professions is considerably lower than men's, and this particular situated-ness or locality makes women experience a unique process of identity construction. Using qualitative methods - two focus group meetings, nineteen autobiographical essays, and twenty two individual interviews, this research focuses on what women learn from their experiences in engineering school, and how they respond to their perceived experiences. This study proposes to delineate (a) the dynamic interaction between women and the social structure of engineering school; (b) women's perception and conceptualization of the social structure they practice; and (c) women's strategic responses to the structure leading to identity construction. Becoming an engineer is problematic for women because the identity of "engineer" is based upon hegemonic ideas developed by previous generations of engineers - men. This research explores how women, standing in the borderline of being women and being engineers, account and construct their identities as women engineers. Sometimes women are subtly or not subtly coerced; sometimes they embrace dominant ideas; sometimes they creatively resist dominant approaches.Item Bollywood movies and cultural identity construction among second generation Indian Americans(2009-08) Tirumala, Lakshmi N.; Gangadharbatla, Harsha; Wilkinson, Kent; Chambers, ToddIndian cinema has been one of the most dominant and distinguishing features of the subcontinent’s culture for the past sixty years. And, as Indians continue to seek out jobs and educational opportunities worldwide, they are bringing these cultural artifacts with them. Previous research suggests that Indian Diaspora may use these types of media products as a form of cultural maintenance. This thesis explores the role of Bollywood movies in constructing and maintaining the cultural identity among second-generation Indian Americans. In particular, this study seeks to demonstrate how Bollywood film viewing practices of the second-generation Indian Americans intersect to create a notion of “Indianness.†Discussions generated across in-depth interviews (N = 8) and focus groups (N = 8) about the process of participants cultural identity construction and maintenance showed that the cultural identity of second-generation Indian Americans depended on various interpersonal and mediated communication activities. Interestingly, the study found that though social factors such as family and peer groups have played a dominant role in constructing the Indian identity, Bollywood movies appeared to have a significant influence on second-generation Indian Americans in maintaining those identities. Bollywood movies not only act as a bridge between home and diaspora, but they help transmit the culture and traditions that play a crucial role in maintaining the “Indianness,†among second-generation Indian Americans.Item College students’ memory of the imposed social norm of their Texas high school: a replication of Gelfand’s tightness-looseness study(2014-05) Merriweather, Katherine Anne; Schallert, Diane L.Using Texas undergraduates’ memory of high school social norms (n = 88), I attempt to determine the replicability of Gelfand et al.’s (2011) research on the tightness-looseness scores of 33 nations. Tightness-looseness refers to a complex model in which cultural social norms are explicated. “Tight” cultures indicate strong social norms where members perceive larger pressures for conformity. These pressures result in higher levels of self-monitoring and regulation. Conversely, “loose” cultures signify weaker social norms and a higher tolerance for atypical conduct. My research confirms that the tightness-looseness model can be applied to school environments because my research revealed a tightness-looseness mean score of 4.3, which is near the midpoint of the six-point scale. Gelfand et al.’s (2011) research (n = 6,823) revealed that the United State had a tightness-looseness score, 5.4, which was near the middle of the range of scores for the 33 nation samples, which ranged from 1 to 12.3. However, my research discovered no significant effects of tightness-looseness on demographic variables, or on the Behavior or Situation Measures. These non-significant findings do not necessarily preclude the concepts discussed here from future research. Rather, future research should include comparison groups from different educational environments and a larger sample size reflective of Gelfand et al. (2011).Item Considerations for creative commons : an examination for motivations of adoption or non-adoption of creative commons licenses(2011-05) Gloria, Marie Joan Tanedo; Stein, Laura Lynn, 1965-; Tyler, KathleenThis paper proposes an examination of Creative Commons (CC) licensing and considerations for adoption or non adoption among musicians. According to the Creative Commons Web site, the licenses were created to work alongside current copyright law allowing rights holders a “some rights reserved” copyright (“What is CC?”, Creative Commons, 2010). However, despite its current uptick in adoption, many remain hesitant and refuse to adopt the licenses to protect their work. Moreover, for those who have adopted the licenses, little is known about why they chose to adopt the licenses. Thus, the study answers the need for further research in understanding why musicians choose to use or not to use CC licenses. The study attempts to answer the following question: What considerations determine whether musicians adopt CC licenses for their work? In the pages that follow, I survey the historic and current position of copyright law. Specifically, the paper begins by problematizing current copyright law by demonstrating its economic and social inefficiencies in light of new advancements in technology. In other words, current copyright favors incumbent cultural industries who demand increased economic incentives at the expense of the public’s right to access these works. Moreover, it favors existing content holders who insist on creating laws that retain maximum control over their property. It then questions whether Creative Commons licenses can successfully reconcile these inefficiencies. Moreover, the overarching goal of this research is to examine the perceived viability of these licenses and to consider whether current advocacy efforts adequately address concerns of potential adopters. It analyze information gathered from multiple in-depth interviews of musicians who have and have not adopted the licenses. It will also examine advocacy efforts. The study hopes to contribute qualitative data that will shape future discussions on copyright, culture and new technologies by considering adequacies and or inadequacies of current licenses & advocacy efforts.Item Consumers' response to negative information about a celebrity endorser(2011-08) Um, Nam-Hyun; Lee, Wei-Na, 1957-; Stout, Patricia; Drumwright, Minette; Williams, Jerome; Emmer, EdmundThe study seeks to discover whether different cultural orientations will result in individuals making dispositional attribution or situational attribution regarding negative information about a celebrity endorser. Second, the study seeks to discover whether consumers in different cultures evaluate different types of negative celebrity information differently. Third, the study seeks to discover whether dispositional or situational attribution of the negative information about the celebrity endorser will produce different evaluations of the endorser and, subsequently, of the endorsed brand. Finally, the study seeks to discover whether the level of consumers’ identification with celebrities (low vs. high) will moderate the relationship between attribution and consequences. The study found that cultural orientation affects people’s attributional styles and dispositional attribution leads to more negative impacts on celebrity evaluation, brand evaluation, and purchase intention than situational attribution. It is found that Korean consumers reacted more negatively on other-oriented negative information than on self-oriented negative orientation. People with a low level of identification responded more negatively to the negative celebrity information than people with a high level of identification. Implications and suggestions for future research in this area are provided.Item Contemporary cowboy culture and the rise of American postmodern solidarity(Texas A&M University, 2007-09-17) Homann, Ronnie DeanIn this dissertation, I build on contemporary theoretical perspectives to interpret characteristics of contemporary cowboy culture. Specifically, I target the image of the cowboy in relation to solidarity. I assume that contemporary cowboy culture is an illusion or simulacra of something, something maybe once authentic. Now, it is built around language games, illusion, image and many other postmodern phenomena. Even so, in this work I explore how postmodernism is useful, which many are hesitant to do. This is a new twist or at least an interesting study in contrast to the enlightenment project. I rely heavily on theoretical discussion, qualitative analysis, participant observation and interpretive interactionism to accomplish this study and engage this culture. I integrate this approach into the continuing question about progress and the relationship between postmodernism and modernism, which is characterized here by McDonaldization. I find contemporary society provides opportunities to celebrate the benefits and development of postmodern social bonding. As a result, postmodernism, characterized by chaos, contradiction, and especially illusion is found to actually create solidarity and allow for Jungian rebirth of something authentic.Item The criteria of culture : an evaluation of criteria used in the selection of foreign language texts for C2 research and instruction(2011-12) Sanchez, Chelsea Kathlyn; Garza, Thomas J.; Pulido, Diana C.This report discusses the history of culture instruction in the language classroom and the increasing attraction to teaching culture as a process, as championed by Byram's (1997) discussion of objectives for intercultural communicative competence (ICC), rather than as the static facts reflected in traditional “culture capsule” lessons. Although according to Burwitz-Melzer (2001) such objectives left “teachers at a loss as to what to expect from their learners, how to structure their lessons and how to structure their lessons,” (p.31), using the recent outpouring of literature on ICC and its subfield, transcultural literacy, in this report Byram's original goals are adapted into an instructional timeline to guide teachers in encouraging the development of ICC, with evidence contradicting Byram's claims that such a process cannot be represented linearly or generalized to all language learning contexts. These goals are followed by resulting criteria for the selection of texts and supplementary tasks acting as the focal point of integrated language and culture lessons. These criteria are then translated into a rubric to assist instructors in identifying the aspects of a text that naturally encourage ICC development and which aspects require additional support in order to be beneficial for this purpose. Finally, this rubric is used to assess three lesson plans published in peer-reviewed journals for the contexts of English, Spanish, and German as foreign languages at the university level, as well as a text for a secondary EFL classroom with an example lesson plan of efficient language and culture integration, leading to a discussion of the need for future research on the interaction of text and task in cultural instruction.Item A cross-cultural examination of consumer responses to celebrity-endorsed advertisements(2014-05) Choi, Jin-A; Lewis, Robert J. (Assistant professor)Celebrity endorsements are popular advertising methods that are implemented globally. Despite the frequent use of celebrities as product endorsers, few studies, if any, examine the cross-cultural effects of celebrity-endorsed advertisement on consumer response. This study focuses on Korea and the United States as representative of Eastern and Western cultures, respectively, in terms of various cultural values, such as (a) those described by cultural dimensions theory (individualism versus collectivism, uncertainty avoidance), (b) those described by information context theory (communication styles) and (c) those described by moral foundations theory (intuitive domains of social judgment). Findings generally suggest that Koreans respond more favorably, in terms of enjoyment and purchase intention, to celebrity-endorsed advertisements than Americans. Also, individual-difference measures for the cultural dimensions above yielded patterns consistent with the overall cultural differences. Detailed discussion, including implications and limitations, are provided for both researchers and practitioners.Item Cross-cultural investigation of children’s awareness and perception of stuttering(2009-08) Gamez, Maya Inez; Byrd, Courtney; Hampton, ElizabethStuttering is a universal phenomenon that has been identified in ethnic and cultural groups around the world. While it has been suggested that attitudes toward stuttering are different for various cultural groups, knowledge of, and attitudes toward stuttering have not been studied extensively across cultures. The purpose of the present study was twofold: (1) to investigate the awareness and perception of stuttering for American children age 3 to 7 from diverse cultures, and (2) to compare those to findings of awareness and perception of stuttering for children from Israel and America. Sixteen children in four different age groups were asked to complete three different types of experimental tasks after watching a video of fluent and disfluent identical seal puppets. The participant’s awareness of disfluency was assessed through discrimination between fluent and disfluent speech and identification of the puppet who spoke like them. Perception was addressed through labeling and evaluation of fluent and disfluent speech. Results revealed that at as young as age 3 some children began to demonstrate accurate awareness of disfluent speech. However, the highest level of accuracy was not demonstrated in the majority of participants until age 7. In addition, results further revealed across all age groups that children were more accurate when discriminating between fluent and disfluent speech than identifying it. Similarities and differences between previous studies that have used the same experimental stimuli (i.e., Ambrose & Yairi, 1994; Ezrati-Vinacour et al., 2001) are discussed. The lack of diverse cultural participants and its resulting effects on the present study’s recruitment methodologies are also discussed.Item Cultura Within : designing workshops and transitional objects that empower young Latina women to persevere in higher education(2016-08) Sibrian, Ana Angelica; Gorman, Carma; Catterall, Kate; Park, JiwonLatinos are one of the fastest-growing ethnic minority groups in the United States. Yet they have the lowest college graduation rate of any racial or ethnic group in the United States. This report documents self-reflective, participatory processes I used, based on my personal experience as a Latina in higher education, to design engaging workshops and transitional objects to support the Latina community at the University of Texas at Austin. I propose that workshops promoting awareness of structural barriers, coaching in self-reflective techniques, and the co-creation of totemic objects that serve as transitional objects and aides-mémoires can empower young Latina women to persevere in higher education. The workshops were designed to use group storytelling, self-reflection and sharing methods to educate and empower young Latinas to create an on-going sense of agency and build stronger communities within higher education.Item Cultural continuity and variation in the development of folk ecological reasoning(2015-05) Busch, Justin Thomas Albert; Legare, Cristine H.; Markman, Art BThe objective of two studies was to investigate cultural variation and continuity in how children understand ecological relationships. We examined children's beliefs about their local ecology and humans' place within that system in a Western (urban American city) and a Non-Western community (Tanna, Vanuatu). Study 1 used a species relation task to examine children’s cultural concepts of the natural world (N = 97, 5-13-year-olds). Results indicate that children in the U.S. provide a greater number of taxonomic responses than children in Vanuatu. Children in Vanuatu provide a greater number of ecological and utility responses than children in the U.S. Older children also provided a greater number of ecological responses than younger children across both cultural contexts. Study 2 used a nature categorization task (N = 106, 6-11-year-olds), in which children sorted 12 pictures of natural kinds into groups. Results revealed cross-cultural similarities in how natural kinds were organized and also show that children in the U.S. were more likely than children in Vanuatu to categorize the human into a group with another animal. Data from both Studies 1 and 2 are consistent with the proposal that how children understand the ecology of their local environment is heavily influenced by how they interact with it, and the kinds of ecological relationships that are emphasized within diverse cultural contexts.Item Cultural differences in medical practices, American and Chinese style: An exploratory study(2011-08) Burnett, Lyndsey; Koch, Jerome R.; Tsai, Yung-MeiEvery person experiences sickness differently. Culture influences how we see the world and particularly sickness and medicine. Medicinal knowledge differs from culture to culture because of the varying concepts and ideologies set forth by each particular society. The purpose of this thesis is to compare and contrast the Western and Chinese viewpoints of biomedicine and traditional medicine and how their respective cultural philosophies influence medicine and the treatment of patients. This will be accomplished by examining how each culture influences views of medicine, sickness, and the body as a whole. This topic is significant because both forms of medicine are diffusing to other areas of the world. Medicinal practices are a reflection of culture and as different countries accumulate varying forms of medicine, they bring with it aspects of their cultures of origin.Item Cultural identity and L2 accent : a literature review(2009-12) Lammons, Rebecca Pertida; Horwitz, Elaine Kolker, 1950-; Garza, Thomas J.The issue of identity has generated a significant amount of research in recent years. In this literature review, the relationship between learner identity and accent is explored, specifically the learner’s cultural affiliation and identity and the link to his/her accent acquisition in a second or foreign language. Social networks, motivation, L1 use, socio-cultural knowledge, discrimination and power relations, and anxiety are all shown to affect parts of the learner’s cultural identity, which, in turn, may influence his/her accent in the L2.Item Cultural impacts on public perceptions of agricultural biotechnology: comparison between South Korea and the United States(Texas A&M University, 2007-04-25) Nader, Richard HarrisonAccording to Millar (1996), the gulf between science and society is growing. Technologies are tools cultures develop to solve society's problems. The rapid dispersion of science and technology across cultural borders through trade, technology transfer and exchange, increasingly requires people in different cultures to make choices about accepting or rejecting artifacts of science and technology such as genetically modified (GM) foods, which originate primarily from the United States. These issues challenge policy makers and scientists to account for the affects of different cultural perspectives on controversial scientific issues. Given the controversy across cultures over acceptance or rejection of genetically modified (GM) foods, GM foods are an excellent example with which to begin to reveal how culture impacts public perceptions of the risk and benefits of science and technology in different societies. This research will: 1. Define public awareness and understanding of science, specifically GM foods; 2. Examine culture's impact on knowledge, including different cultural approaches to research; and 3. Compare recent findings of a bi-national public opinion survey on GM comparing in South Korea and the United States. The proposed research outlines two research questions: 1) How and in what ways do South Koreans and Americans differ in their opinions about GMOs? This question is important for gathering current points of contrast about how the two cultures may differ; and 2) What role does culture play on opinion formation about GM foods? Through grounded theory, the researcher will investigate how cultural differences help explain opinion on public perceptions of GM foods. Is it possible to identify common cultural factors that impact public perceptions of GM foods between South Koreans and Americans? The study will utilize both qualitative and quantitative methodologies. Higher education is a major producer of new science and technology. The study is significant for higher education administrators who must understand cultural factors impacting science internationally and globalization of the academic enterprise.Item CULTURAL INFLUENCE ON THE CHARACTERIZATIONS OF HEALTH BY KOREAN WOMEN LIVING IN THE UNITED STATES(2012-04-19) Cho, Gayoung; Lee, Jaesub; Xiao, Zhiwen; Kwan, SamanthaThe number of Korean migrants in the United States is continuously on the rise. As immigrants, they adapt to their new environment, including their understanding of health. This study explored the experience of Korean women living in the United States with respect to their perceptions of health and attempted to develop a substantive theory that explains the basic social process of adjusting to new life. Specifically, this study was undertaken to address the following questions: "How do Korean women living in the United States characterize health? and “To what extent does Korean and/or American culture affect such characterization?” This descriptive qualitative study utilized the grounded theory design. Accordingly, data collection comprised of purposive and theoretical sampling methods. In-depth, semi-structured, audio-taped interviews were conducted with a total of 20 Korean women in 20’s who have lived in the United States for at least two years. Interview data were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using Strauss and Corbin's constant comparative method. Findings indicated that Korean women use various methods of coping with new cultural environment and understanding toward health. Three main categories of health perceptions emerged: Physical health, mental and emotional health, and social health.