Browsing by Subject "Sociology."
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Item Judge not lest ye be judged : relationships between body mass index and engagement in a religious community.(2010-10-08T16:18:03Z) Granstra, Shanna L.; Park, Jerry Z.; Sociology.; Baylor University. Dept. of Sociology.According to the Center for Disease Control, obesity is currently at epidemic proportions in the United States. Approximately a third of American adults are obese. With the prevalence of obesity in the United States has come scholarly interest into how obesity is related to health, psychological, and social outcomes. The purpose of this study is to discover if there is a positive or negative relationship between obesity and engagement in a religious community. Results are gendered and mixed; obese women are more likely than women of a healthy weight to be members of a religious community, but attend less often. This suggests that while religious beliefs are strong enough to overcome fear of stigmatization in joining a social community, they are not strong enough to prompt obese women to actually socialize within the religious community, perhaps because of expected stigmatization.Item Migration, mobility and social disorganization in rural agricultural and recreational communities.(2010-06-23T12:23:11Z) Pederson, Cassidy J.; Mencken, Frederick Carson, 1964-; Sociology.; Baylor University. Dept. of Sociology.This article seeks to examine how the economic base of a rural community affects mobility, social cohesion and crime. Drawing upon the wealth of research in criminology and the emerging research in the variety of rural communities, this research will seek to evaluate how social disorganization theory and residential stability affect crime rates in rural communities and how the economic base of rural communities affect the ability to socially organize and deter crime.Item Religion, sexuality, and gender : an individual and organizational analysis.(2012-08-08) Whitehead, Andrew L.; Dougherty, Kevin D.; Sociology.; Baylor University. Dept. of Sociology.Homosexuality has been the object of much debate, research, and political struggle over the last 40 years. Since the Stonewall riots of 1969 the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender movement (LGBT) continues to grow and occupy a much larger portion of the social consciousness in the United States. Religion is commonly viewed as a “brake” slowing down the liberalization of attitudes. The influence of gender and especially traditional gender attitudes are also significant. While the effect of religion or gender on attitudes toward homosexuality and the inequality gays and lesbians experience is documented, little research investigates the intersection of religion, sexuality, and gender. Drawing on multiple data sets at the individual and organizational levels, the four analyses in this project demonstrate the influence of religion and gender on attitudes toward homosexuality and the full inclusion of gays and lesbians into American life. Specifically, this study considers 1) the relationship between gender ideology and attitudes toward homosexuality, 2) attribution theory and attitudes toward same-sex unions, 3) the determinants of congregational responses to gays and lesbians, and 4) the relationship between gender inequality and the inequality experienced by gays and lesbians within American congregations. The findings for each study are discussed, and implications and suggestions for future research are also considered.Item Science and religion in 21st century America : a sociological perspective.(2010-06-23T12:30:38Z) Baker, Joseph O.; Bader, Christopher David.; Sociology.; Baylor University. Dept. of Sociology.This study addresses empirical gaps and theoretical miscalculations in the understanding of science, religion, and their connections from a sociological perspective. Although this topic has been of great interest to classical and contemporary theorists in the social sciences, and has been examined using institutional approaches, there remains a dearth of empirical assessments addressing these connections. Specifically, this study explores patterns of belief about both science and religion, as well as their intersection, among the contemporary American populace. In addition to advancing the empirical understanding of how science and religion interact in American culture, amendments and clarifications to previous theoretical perspectives on these issues are posited. The 2007 Baylor Religion Survey offers a national, random sample with an extensive selection of quantitative measures of religious attitudes and behaviors, and also includes a battery of questions aimed at assessing American attitudes about mainstream science. Among the topics addressed are acceptance of evolution, support for teaching creationism in public schools, whether science and religion are incompatible, and whether people feel that mainstream scientists are hostile to religious faith. Before delving into the empirical issues at hand, the initial chapter presents an extensive reworking of previous theoretical perspectives employed to understand these issues. The measures of attitudes toward issues involving science then serve as the focus in early substantive chapters. The final chapters outline how views of science and religion are woven into the broader moral and ideological fabric of American culture and suggest future paths of intellectual inquiry.Item Social disorganization theory and crime across the metropolitan-nonmetropolitan divide.(2010-02-02T20:02:55Z) Parker, James Dale, 1979-; Mencken, Frederick Carson, 1964-; Sociology.; Baylor University. Dept. of Sociology.The study of social disorganization and its effects on crime has largely been focused on metropolitan areas. This paper focuses on property and violent crime as they occur in nonmetropolitan counties and advances research on the theory by addressing a few specific areas. First, it investigates the effects of social disorganization measures, including the interaction of socioeconomic status and residential mobility, on crime in nonmetropolitan areas. Second, it introduces the concept of international immigration as a predictor of crime within the framework of social disorganization. Finally, it compares the performance of social disorganization indicators in nonmetropolitan and metropolitan areas. Several aspects of social disorganization are supported, though not precisely as anticipated. Implications of this research as well avenues for future research are discussed.Item Social origins of scientific deviance.(2012-08-08) Tom, Joshua C.; Froese, Paul.; Sociology.; Baylor University. Dept. of Sociology.Scientific communities enjoy nearly unchallenged authority on matters related to the natural world; however, there are instances where significant portions of the population hold beliefs contrary to the scientific consensus. These beliefs have generally been studied as the product of scientific illiteracy. This project reframes the issue as one of social deviance from the consensus of scientific communities. Using young-earth creationism and global warming skepticism as case studies, I introduce consensus perception to the study of scientific deviance and explore its utility. Having an improper perception of a scientific consensus on an issue turns out to be one of the most important factors in predicting scientifically deviant beliefs. Still, a significant number of individuals who properly understand the scientific consensus can refuse to accept this consensus on issues which are religiously or political controversial, suggesting that education alone does not determine scientific deviance.Item Utilizing a web based survey to examine retention within an insurance company.(2014-09-05) Pagel, Andrew T.; Tolbert, Charles M.; Sociology.; Baylor University. Dept. of Sociology.A national insurance company wanted to examine retention, and decided that a survey was the best course of action to take. Due to cost restrictions, a web survey was the most logical approach; unlike studies of a general population, the nature of this study’s population enabled a web-based survey to be used very effectively. This particular data collection effort targeted individuals who cancelled some of the company’s most common forms of coverage within the last year: motorcycle, flood, and watercraft insurance. Questions were asked in regards to why individuals cancelled their coverage, if they ever intend to renew coverage, and what the company could improve upon in the future. Data gathered from this survey was combined with existing demographic data. A total of 4,482 respondents completed this survey within a period of two weeks, with one reminder email sent at the end of the first week. The majority of the watercraft and motorcycle respondents indicated they had not switched providers or had problems with the company, but rather cancelled because they no longer owned the product and had no further use for coverage. Most flood respondents reported having sold their home, or have been moved out of the flood plain. The greatest area of opportunity for the company could be the individuals who continue to own a motorcycle or watercraft and not carry insurance on it. Several of these respondents have their vehicles in storage, and the company could potentially offer some type of improved storage insurance to meet the needs of their consumers. The insurance company was pleased with the results, and may incorporate techniques utilized here within future studies.