Browsing by Subject "race"
Now showing 1 - 20 of 22
Results Per Page
Sort Options
Item Children Of The Sleeping Giant: Social Activism Among Latino Youth In The United States.(2013-10-07) Garcia, EdmundoRacialization, oppression, and resistance are key components of the United States? race relations. Consequently, social movements organized and led by youth of color represent the manifestation of resistance to social and political structures of power. The present thesis examines the activism of Latino/a youth in Southern California against House of Representatives Bill 4437, ?The Border Protection, Anti-Terrorism and Illegal Immigration Control Act,? that took place in 2006. During this contentious context, youth activists organized protests, classroom discussions, and walkouts across the U.S., particularly in Southern California. Twenty-four participants of these events were interviewed in order examine the conditions that led them to engage in social movement activism and how they understood race and racism within their organized resistance. Traditional and current social movement theories (i.e. political process theory), do not adequately explain the emergence of activism among Latino/a high school students whose political engagement is often sparked by their experiences with racial discrimination or anti-immigrant sentiment. This research study addresses an existing gap in social movement theories by merging social movement theory with race-centered theories in order to contextualize and understand social movements led by youth of color within the U.S. racial system. The voices of participants represent critical epistemological frontiers as the study documents and examines their experiences and counter-frames. Counter narratives are indicative of insurgent consciousness among racial minority movements in their challenges against authorities and official narratives. The findings of this study demonstrate that student activists in Los Angeles and San Diego, California, had varying degrees of consciousness regarding the proposed immigration bill. This included views of H.R. 4437 as threatening to their families, community, as well as deeming the bill as a racialized political threat. Secondly, the findings also indicate that marginalization of communities of color continues to occur, as in this case, student activists? faced repression for making political claims. I conclude with a discussion of the significance of the 2006 youth movement, participants? reflections, and lessons participants took away as they matriculated into adulthood and some into the continuing movement for immigrants? rights.Item Clarifying the Relationships between Rural Parenting Practices and Child Sedentary Behaviors(2013-04-29) Gabriel, Myra GayleChildhood obesity is a growing problem in the United States. Though a great body of research has focused on this area, little is still known about the factors that influence this phenomenon in rural settings. Sedentary behavior and parenting factors are just two factors that influence this trend toward obesity. However, even less is known about how the intersection of parenting influences affects child sedentary behaviors in rural communities. This study examines the relationship between parenting factors and child sedentary behaviors within the context of rurality. This study was completed in two parts. Part one consisted of a comprehensive review of the literature that provided background on the current practices and set the stage for the statistical analysis that followed. Part two included the statistical analysis, which focused on examining the relationships between parents? TV and behavior rules, and child?s sedentary activity behaviors. Pearson correlation and Spearman?s rank were used to assess whether relationships existed between variables. Correlations between weekday and weekend activity and gender were not found to be significant. Also, relationships between rule enforcement and activity were not found to be significant. This study found a glaring gap in the literature that examines how parenting factors influence child sedentary behaviors in rural settings. Also, the statistical analysis revealed that parental rules have no associations with child sedentary activity, despite medium rates of enforcement.Item Color, the Visual Arts, and Representations of Otherness in the Victorian Novel(2012-07-16) Durgan, JessicaThis dissertation investigates the cultural connections made between race and color in works of fiction from the Victorian and Edwardian era, particularly how authors who are also artists invent fantastically colored characters who are purple, blue, red, and yellow to rewrite (and sometimes reclaim) difference in their fiction. These strange and eccentric characters include the purple madwoman in Charlotte Bront??s Jane Eyre (1847), the blue gentleman from Wilkie Collins?s Poor Miss Finch (1872), the red peddler in Thomas Hardy?s The Return of the Native (1878), and the little yellow girls of Arthur Conan Doyle?s ?The Yellow Face? (1893) and Frances Hodgson Burnett?s The Secret Garden (1911). These fictional texts serve as a point of access into the cultural meanings of color in the nineteenth century and are situated at the intersection of Victorian discourses on the visual arts and race science. The second half of the nineteenth century constitutes a significant moment in the history of color: the rapid development of new color technologies helps to trigger the upheavals of the first avant-garde artistic movements and a reassessment of coloring?s prestige in the art academies. At the same time, race science appropriates color, using it as a criterion for classification in the establishment of global racial hierarchies. By imagining what it would be like to change one?s skin color, these artist-authors employ the aesthetic realm of color to explore the nature of human difference and alterity. In doing so, some of them are able to successfully formulate their own challenges to nineteenth-century racial discourse.Item The impact of race/ethnicity on post acute services(2009-02-24) Tracy U Nguyen-Oghalai; Jean Freeman; Terry A McNearney; Kenneth J Ottenbacher; James S Goodwin; Huifang LuEach year, more than 300,000 people fracture their hip. The number of hip fractures in the US is expected to increase with the aging of the population in the coming years; by 2040, 500,000 patients annually will sustain a hip fracture. Better understanding of factors impacting outcomes after hip fractures can inform the health care work force, facilitate future interventions to improve outcomes for patients with hip fractures and inform future health policy. This dissertation reviewed the impact of race/ethnicity and comorbidity on perioperative and subacute hip fracture management and discussed the implications for future medical management and health policy.Item Imperial Standard-Bearers: Nineteenth-Century Army Officers' Wives in British India and the American West(2012-07-16) McInnis, VerityThe comparative experiences of the nineteenth-century British and American Army officer's wives add a central dimension to studies of empire. Sharing their husbands' sense of duty and mission, these women transferred, adopted, and adapted national values and customs, to fashion a new imperial sociability, influencing the course of empire by cutting across and restructuring gender, class, and racial borders. Stationed at isolated stations in British India and the American West, many officers' wives experienced homesickness and disorientation. They reimagined military architecture and connected into the military esprit de corps, to sketch a blueprint of female identity and purpose. On the physical journeys to join their husbands, and post arrival, the feminization of formal and informal military practices produced a new social reality and facilitated the development of an empowered sisterhood that sustained imperialist ambitions. This appropriation of symbols, processes, and rankings facilitated roles as social functionaries and ceremonial performers. Additionally, in utilizing dress, and home decor, military spouses drafted and projected an imperial identity that reflected, yet transformed upper and middle-class gender models. An examination of the social processes of calling and domestic rituals confirms the formation of a distinct and influential imperial female identity. The duty of protecting the social gateway to the imperial community, rested with a hostess?s ability to discriminate ? and convincingly reject parvenus. In focusing on the domestic site it becomes clear that the mistress-servant relationship both formulated and reproduced imperial ideologies. Within the home, the most intimate of inter-racial, inter-ethnic, and inter-class contact zones, the physiological trait of a white skin, and the exhibition of national artifacts signaled identity, status, and authority. Military spouses, then, generated social power as arbiters, promoters, and police officers of an imperial class, reaffirming internal confidence within the Anglo communities, and legitimizing external representations of the power and prestige of empire.Item Juvenile Justice and the Incarcerated Male Minority: A Qualitative Examination of Disproportionate Minority Contact(2012-07-16) Feinstein, RachelRacial inequality within the juvenile justice system has been cited by numerous studies. This racial inequality is generally referred to as disproportionate minority contact (DMC), and the causes have been debated in the literature for decades. Using a relatively unique methodology for DMC literature, this study incorporated in-depth interview data from thirty male juveniles residing in a private correctional facility to elucidate possible causes of DMC. By analyzing and comparing the experiences of incarcerated juveniles, support for theories of systemic racism, Donald Black?s self-help or the community justice theory, and Agnew?s general strain theory was found. Themes that emerged from the qualitative data include differences in neighborhood and family contexts for minorities compared to whites, variations in motivations for engagement in criminal activity, and differences in the interactions with police officers and perceptions of the police based on race. Specifically, major findings show minority participants were more likely to describe anger and revenge as the most common reason for committing crimes compared to whites, who frequently cited boredom as their primary reason for engaging in criminal activity. Furthermore, black, Latino, and Native American participants were more likely to report growing up in dangerous neighborhoods than whites. Police interactions also showed a racial discrepancy, with whites receiving more chances from the police, and minorities being repeatedly arrested by the same officer slightly more frequently than whites. Overall, findings suggest that disproportionate minority contact is a result of disproportionate levels of strain and injustice experienced by minorities compared to whites.Item Latina/o Health Discourses in Newsprint Media from 2006-2010: A Content Analysis of Four Syndicated Newspapers(2013-12-11) Ortega, Frank JLatina/o health discourses stem from historical and social notions of biological, cultural, and racial inferiority. Popular U.S. newspapers pay scant attention to Latina/o health concerns and often inaccurately portray Latinas/os as undeserving foreigners that continue to drain social services such as health care. A content analysis of 291 New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, and Houston Chronicle newspaper articles (2006-2010) reveals that Latina/o health discourses are grounded in a racialized medical narrative that justifies and sustains white racial oppression. Systemic racism and the white racial frame are utilized as theoretical frameworks to better understand how mainstream newspapers construct the medical racialization of Latinas/os and contribute to health disparities, unequal access to health services, and inadequate health care. The findings reveal that Latina/o health issues concerning high costs, population increase, and political marginality, influence anti-Latina/o legislation, sustain prevailing racism, and create exclusionary health practices. Fundamentally the anti-Latina/o sentiment presented in the newspapers and disseminated throughout society equates to the denial of resources, the denial of health care, and thus the denial of life. Challenging racist Latina/o perceptions is an important area of social science and anti-racism research. Ultimately, without a healthy Latina/o workforce, the economy could not sustain itself and society would be susceptible to economic, social, and political collapse.Item Love isn't always black and white: understanding black-white interracial couples, their challenges, and their dyadic communication(2009-05-15) Wilson, Misty MichelleWhile a great deal of sociological and psychological research has been done on black-white interracial couples and the challenges they have faced in past eras, the communication between the partners remains largely under-explored and under-theorized. The purpose of this dissertation is two-fold. First, this dissertation seeks to understand what challenges interracial couples face today. Second, this dissertation also explores the communication surrounding these challenges, communication both within the couple and communication between the couple and their social networks. To explore these challenges and the resulting communication, 14 black-white interracial couples were interviewed in depth. Results showed that interracial couples often still face messages of disapproval from their families. Black families and white families sometimes disapproved for similar reasons; however, black families and white families had several concerns that were markedly different from each other and were tied to the history of race relations in the US. Further, results showed that partners in interracial relationship underwent identity transformations as they learned to navigate an intimate relationship with a ?racial other.? Whites reported learning the most. Because of their privileged position in society, whites life situations had never had necessitated that they learn about the black co-culture. The black partners also reported seeing the white community differently by understanding the nuances of racism at a deeper level because of their ?outsider within? position in white families. Finally, results suggested that couples grapple with balancing the dialectic between embracing race in the relationship and rejecting race in the relationship. Couples reject race, arguing that other differences are more important to their relationship. Couples embrace race when they talk about issues of identity such as their individual identities, their identity as a couple, and?when they had children-- their identity as a family. Further analysis demonstrate two different strategies couples use to manage the embracing race-rejecting race dialectic.Item Malady of the "model minority": White racism's assault on the Asian American psyche(2009-05-15) Chou, Rosalind SueMy research is a qualitative study about the Asian American experience. Studies have shown that Asian Americans obtain high levels of educational attainment and household income, but these figures are misleading. Asian Americans are getting a lower financial return on their education compared to their white counterparts. They suffer higher rates of suicide and depression than all other racial groups. Little quantitative and no qualitative research exists addressing these issues. My research explores Asian American life experiences with a focus on what role systemic racism plays in their lives and how this connects to the health disparities. This analysis utilizes thirty-six in-depth interviews to discuss the types and frequency of racist events. Respondents revealed a plethora of discriminatory incidents and shared various coping strategies that they use to deal with the stress of discrimination and to combat future racism. The analysis concludes that the great efforts that Asian Americans go to in order to protect themselves from white racism are costly. Respondents have to combat feelings of isolation, inadequacy, and inferiority. The analysis also utilizes interview data to discuss the ways in which respondents attempt to conform to the white racial frame in hopes to find relief from discrimination. By conforming, some adopt negative racial stereotypes about themselves and other people of color. Even after going to great lengths to conform, interviewees still struggled with feeling excluded by whites. Eventually, some respondents became hopeless that they would ever be accepted. This work also explores alternative methods some Asian Americans are using to combat systemic racism. Some respondents revealed an alternate mindset to those who have chosen to conform to the white racial frame. This group of respondents challenged white racist ideologies, and some even discussed methods in which they actively resist in hopes to improve the racial situation for all Asian Americans. This work is an attempt to fill the large gaps in research about the unique Asian American experience. There has been no other similar analysis in the past. My data reveal the complexities of the Asian American experience and the need for further research.Item Merton's Status Exchange Theory and Husband-Wife Education Differences in Black Intermarriage(2013-10-23) Malone, Danny E.Most studies of racial intermarriage aiming to test Merton?s status exchange theory use education to determine the odds of intermarriage, but none have actually used intermarriage to predict the difference in education among intermarried spouses. This study examines the relationship between husband-wife education differences and intermarriage among U.S. blacks as a test of Merton?s status exchange theory. According to evidence from 2008-2010 IPUMS-ACS data, black husbands tend to engage in ?status exchange? more than black wives when marrying across racial lines. Ordinary least squares regression was used to analyze the relationship with husband-wife education difference and intermarriage questioning if Merton?s status exchange theory is still relevant in the 21st century. Findings indicate the theory still may be useful because husband-wife education differences for black husbands are impacted by whether they are intermarried or not. For black wives, the picture is not as clear.Item Predictors of the likelihood of adoption among U.S. women by race and ethnicity(2009-05-15) Klucsarits, Christine ElizabethThis thesis utilizes a series of seven logistic regression models to examine the predictors of the likelihood of adoption among U.S. women based on the National Survey of Family Growth, Cycle 6. The individual characteristics that have been found most influential in determining adoption behavior in past studies were examined, including age at the time of the interview, parity, fecundity status, and socioeconomic status. A special focus was placed upon the relationship between the race and ethnicity of a woman and her adoption behavior, which has received limited attention in the adoption literature. The results of this analysis suggest that the main determinants of adoption are undergoing change. While findings on the relationship between a woman?s age and her likelihood of adoption are consistent with past research, the relationships of parity, marital status, fecundity status and socioeconomic status with adoption behavior each exhibit surprising developments. Additionally, the results of this analysis reveal that race and ethnicity are important variables in terms of the adoption behavior of U.S. women. The implications of these results, as well as the need for more comprehensive adoption data, are also discussed.Item Race, Gender, and Media Practices: A Critical Framing Analysis of the Media?s Coverage of USDA Worker Shirley Sherrod(2013-05-03) McGovney-Ingram, RebeccaOn July 19, 2010, conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart posted a story on his website claiming USDA worker Shirley Sherrod was racist in her work with farmers. The edited video included with the story as proof, showed Sherrod speaking at an NAACP banquet. Sherrod was subsequently vilified in the media and fired from her job, only to be exonerated and rehired later that week. Although the media claims their routine writing and reporting practices (such as newsworthiness, source selection, objectivity, and perpetual news cycle) make the industry better, researchers have shown that these practices lead to the use of shortcuts and stereotypes. This is especially detrimental to Black women because of the double-dose of stereotyping they are subject to when they are portrayed in the media. The purpose of this study was to understand how media practices influenced the framing of race and gender in the media coverage of Sherrod. In order to integrate key elements of critical theory (i.e. activism, intersectionality, speaking position, subjectivity) I chose a mixed-methods approach for my framing analysis. This included open-ended reading of the news stories, constant comparative analysis of possible frames, quantitative coding sheet, analysis of statistics in SPSS, and inclusion of qualitative examples. I analyzed a total of 93 news articles from 12 news sources for this study. Most of the news stories came from newer, online publications (n=67, 72.0%) and over half came from new sources with a liberal philosophy (n=47, 50.5%). I found three frames that were used to describe Sherrod in terms of race and gender: victim, good woman, and above her place. I also found that these frames were closely aligned with news values that help determine a story?s newsworthiness. I found seven sources were used repetitively and selectively associated with the frames. I also found differences in frames by news source type and philosophy. Finally, I found that the frames followed an identifiable news cycle. The results of this study show that the media do indeed utilize negative stereotypes of Black women in their products and that media?s use of routine writing and reporting practices exacerbate this problem.Item Social comparison, ethnicity, body image, and media exposure to thin-ideal models: an experimental study(2009-06-02) Warren, Cortney SoderlindSocial comparison theory offers a useful conceptual framework to understand how mainstream American sociocultural values of appearance may shape the development of body image disturbance and eating disorders. Some experimental research demonstrates that women report significantly greater increases in negative affect and body image disturbance and decreases in self-esteem after viewing thin models than after viewing inanimate objects, normal-weight models, and overweight women. The main goal of this study was to investigate whether the effects of viewing thin models are influenced by the ethnicity of the observer and/or the ethnic and racial similarity of the model to the observer. In addition, the study tested the extent to which social comparison tendency, trait appearance evaluation, ethnic identity, and racial identity may moderate these effects. In study 1, women rated the race, attractiveness, and thinness of a group of ethnically diverse models. Study 2 assessed affect, self-esteem, and body image in Euro-American (n = 105), African-American (n = 91), and Latina (n = 111) women before and after viewing ethnically self-similar models, self-different models, or control images. Results indicated that ethnic similarity between model and participants influenced affect such that increased social comparison tendency in Latina participants predicted increased negative affect after viewing Latina models. Additionally, the type of media images viewed and proposed moderators influenced affect and body image. As predicted, positive appearance evaluation was more strongly associated with positive feelings about one?s weight after viewing models and, in African-American and Latina women, increased idealization of Whiteness was associated with decreased positive feelings regarding one?s weight after viewing White models. Unexpectedly, increased social comparison tendency was associated with increased positive affect after viewing African-American models whereas increased social comparison tendency was associated with less positive affect after viewing Latina models. Finally, independent of media exposure, African-American women reported higher appearance-based self-esteem and body image than Euro-American and Latina women and increased social comparison tendency, decreased positive appearance evaluation, decreased ethnic identity, and increased racial identity idealizing Whiteness were each associated with undesirable levels of self-esteem and body image. Clinical implications and directions for future research are provided.Item Sociospatial Inequality: A Multilevel and Geo-Spatial Analysis of Latino Poverty(2012-02-14) Siordia, CarlosSociology at its core has always been interested in understanding how society works. Previous studies on social stratification have sought to outline who gets what, when, and why. This project introduces the where element to advance our understanding of how resource distribution affects life chances. The research question is: Does the percent of Latinos in the area of residence have an influence on Latino?s individual poverty over and above the influence on poverty of the person characteristics? The study ascertains how micro-level inequality is influenced by macro-level attributes and explores how spatial non-stationarity plays a role in these mechanics. This sociospatial inequality investigation will delineate how individual-level stratifying mechanisms are influenced by context-level structural attributes and how sociospatial non-stationary processes play a role in these mechanics. The dissertation is conceptually driven by Hubert M. Blalock's 1970 theory on minority relationships. Blalock posited the testable hypothesis that discrimination against oppressed groups increases when their population rises. Using theoretical propositions inspired by Blalock leads to the testing of the following two formal hypothesis: the multilevel hypothesis (H1) focuses on macro-level effects, I hypothesize that as the percent of Latinos/as in the area of residence increases, the odds of being in poverty will increase for Latinas/os; on the spatial hypothesis (H2), I hypothesize that the statistical association between percent Latina/o and percent poverty is spatially nonstationary. I find that H1 cannot be falsified. The models reveal, as Blalock predicted, that as the percent of Latinos/as in the area of residence increases, the odds of being in poverty increase for Latinas/os (even after controlling for various level-1, level-2, and GWR-level-2 factors). I also find that H2 could not be falsified. I find that the statistical association between percent Latina/o and percent poverty is spatially nonstationary. My multilevel and spatial modeling investigation was unable to falsify Blalock's minority group threat theory. Hierarchical models indicate that as the percent of Latino/a increases, the likelihood of being in poverty for Latinas/os increases. This statically significant relationship holds constant even after spatial nonstationarity level-2 control factors are introduced.Item Spatial attainment trends of racial and ethnic groups in Houston, Texas, 1970 to 2000(2009-05-15) Waren, WarrenPrevious research in the spatial assimilation of racial and ethnic groups has not assessed trends over time due to methodological difficulties and data limitations. I use an innovative method to assess the intercensal changes in neighborhood spatial attainment for African Americans, Hispanics, and non-Hispanic whites in Houston, Texas, between 1970 and 2000. I extend the current literature by showing that an accepted and commonly used method for assessing longitudinal change in spatial attainment is flawed and yields incorrect results. I highlight an alternative approach which makes use of data readily available in Census Summary Files to estimate individual-level spatial attainment regressions. I also show that the choice of neighborhood size affects estimates of spatial attainment effects. Although the influence of spatial scale has been demonstrated in the segregation literature, its consequences for spatial attainment research have not. I investigate and report findings from four geographic scales useful to and commonly used by spatial attainment researchers: the block group, the Census tract, the Zip Code Tabulated Area, and the Public Use Micro Data Area. I compare the benefits and drawbacks of estimating spatial attainment at each level of geography.Item The Experiences for People of Asian Descent in Professional Positions in American College Sport(2014-12-16) Shim, Kun SooThe purpose of this study was to understand the role that race and ethnicity plays in the experiences for people of Asian descent in professional positions in American college sport. Specifically, this study sought to understand (a) the reasons for the underrepresentation of people of Asian descent in professional positions, (b) the ways that race and racism play a role in the underrepresentation for people of Asian descent in professional positions, and (c) the strategies employed for obtaining and maintaining a professional position for people of Asian descent in American college sport. This basic interpretive qualitative research was conducted utilizing in-depth semi-structured interviews. The participants of the study consisted of six (N=6) professionals of Asian descent that are currently working or have worked in American college sport. Asian critical theory was utilized to guide and establish research questions, method, interpretation of findings, discussion, and conclusion. Five themes emerged from the data:(a) Asian cultural value of education over sport/athletic participation (i.e., family influence and educational competitiveness in an Asian country); (b) incongruousness of the term ?Asians? with sport; (c) language barriers (i.e., lack of communication skills and limited network); (d) exclusion due to race-based view of foreigner; and (e) commonly accepted job practices (i.e., persistence and building a network). As an initial study on people of Asian descent in American college sport, the findings could benefit practitioners in American college sport to understand the current experiences for people of Asian descent face and educate people of Asian descent as to how they succeed in American college sport. In addition, this study would make a contribution to literature in the sport context by providing experiential knowledge of people of Asian descent in American college sport.Item The Role Mentoring Plays in a White Female Novice Teacher's Perceptions of Her Enculturation into a Culturally Diverse Campus(2012-07-16) Noble, Erica MichelleMany of America's schools are populated with diverse student populations, while the teaching population remains largely White. This creates dissonance for White teachers and students of color. Possibly mentoring can assist novice White teachers as they enculturate into the profession and their culturally diverse campuses. This qualitative research, conducted from an Interpretivism paradigm, used a case study of a White female novice teacher at a culturally diverse campus to understand the role mentoring played in a White female novice teacher's perceptions of her enculturation into a culturally diverse campus. Several methods of data collection were used, including 9 semi-structured interviews with the novice teacher, email dialogues, 3 days of shadowing, as well as two semi-structured interviews with the subject's principal and mentor. The data was analyzed using the constant comparative method. This White female novice teacher taught at a campus with a large Hispanic student population. She struggled to feel confident in her work and in her relationships with her mentor, her fellow teachers, her administrators, her students and their parents. She relied heavily on her faith and her fellow novice teacher and teammate. Her mentor visited her once a week. She liked her mentor, but never felt she received the assistance desired. She recognized she knew little about the Hispanic culture of her students; she was willing to learn more, but failed to see her own privileged membership in the dominant White culture and its effect on interactions with her students. The discussion of this study looks at the structuring of an effective mentoring program for novice teachers, and the new teacher?s frustrations with the mentoring received; her relationship struggles with her principal and other staff, but also some successes in forming friendly relationships; her desire to understand her Hispanic students and their culture, yet her inability to see her membership in the dominant culture, as well has her school and district's "color-blind" approach to race; and her perceptions of her enculturation into the profession of teaching. The conclusions of this study discuss mentoring new teachers, the role of principals in the induction of new teachers, cultural differences between teachers and students, and the influence of faith and character with a teacher and his/her teaching.Item ?The True Story of Seven Strangers Picked to Have Their Lives Taped?: Studying Race as Constructed on Reality Television(2012-10-19) Filoteo, JanieThe present work examines the construction of race on reality television through the use of an exemplar in this genre, MTV's The Real World. By the sheer fact of its popularity and ubiquity, as The Real World is nearly two decades old and is the longest-running example of the genre, reality television programming warrants deeper academic investigation. The present work argues that as we are consuming mass media, we are also consuming specific ideas about our social world. These ideas inform audiences and are necessary to uncover in order to learn about the social structure of our racialized society. Findings reveal race and ethnicity is embedded in our culture and how this show has communicated race through its depiction and even exclusion. Further, findings reveal that racial and ethnic relations are most often depicted as a "Black versus White" issue. The current work focuses specifically on the construction of race because of the similarly ubiquitous nature of race in society. Because The Real World is a long-running series, it provides an ample database from which to sample for a discourse analysis. The show is marketed and viewed by a specific target audience such that it allows for the exploration of one of the research arguments: that we must continue to rethink and challenge our view that mass media audience members, specifically here television, are passive consumers of material. The present work seeks to extend the application of theoretical contributions of Hall, Morley, Ang, and Jenkins by applying models to a type of programming that complicates the vision of media where consumers and producers are identifiably different spheres. The field of reality television programming is unique because of its dependence on viewers to become cast members and participants in the media production process. Finally, as previous research has shown, even in fictional settings viewers have conflated the individual who plays a character and the character the actor is playing. Thus by analyzing issues of race, where the line between real and unreal is purposely blurred the impact of how race is constructed can be quite great.Item “Under the glorious inter-American flag of New York” : Club Cubano Interamericano and the process of Cuban American community formation in New York City in the early 20th century(2013-12) Hadjistoyanova, Iliyana; Guridy, Frank AndreThis report explores Club Cubano Inter-Americano’s history in order to show how it helped situate Cuban immigrants within the Anglo and Latino communities in New York City in the early 20th century, and it examines the ways in which immigrants balanced their island heritage with community building in the United States. The different parts of the report focus on the organization’s foundation, leadership, activities, events, and treatment of race. A historiography of similar social groups provides a necessary background of the overall structure and goals of Cuban mutual-aid societies. Although the question of race was never officially present in Club-related rhetoric, a number of similarities link its makeup and functions to an existing tradition of Afro-Cuban mutual-aid societies on the island and abroad. The analysis of the New York Club Cubano Inter-Americano provides a glimpse into a part of the Cuban migration in the United States that simply does not fit with the rest.Item Understanding the experiences of African American outdoor enthusiasts(2009-05-15) Cavin, Drew AlanThe study of race/ethnicity and leisure has been an area of great interest to researchers since at least the 1970s. Numerous studies have shown that differences exist in the ways people from different racial/ethnic groups participate in outdoor recreation. Most of these studies have found that racial and ethnic minorities (i.e. non-White groups) participate in many outdoor recreation activities at proportionally lower levels than do Whites. While these studies present numerous hypotheses to help explain this phenomenon, no study has been conclusive. In this dissertation, I present a theoretical framework and three empirical studies to investigate the nuances of this issue. The first study examines the theory of systemic racism (Feagin, 2006) and its utility to deepen our understanding of the factors that play into African Americans relationship with nature and outdoor recreation. The second study analyzes narrative and historical autobiographical accounts of African Americans from the three major racial eras in United States history in order to examine African Americans? relationship with nature over time. The third study examines the racially related constraints of African Americans who are involved in serious leisure pursuits of activities generally considered outdoor recreation, as well as African Americans who are involved in nature related careers. The constraints I found with this group are reservations of family and friends regarding being in ?the woods,? collective memory and fear, being the ?only one, ? discrimination and ?reverse curiosity,? assumption of novice status, and balancing identity between being Black, and ?acting White.? In the fourth study I analyze this same study group, but explore their experiences of being involved in serious leisure and look at the negotiation schema that this group employed to sustain participation. These negotiation schema are childhood formative experiences, realizing deep connections to nature, transcendental experiences in nature, leaning on knowledge of nature, comfort with White people/places/groups, and positive experiences with White people in nature. The four studies in this collection represent a rethinking and deepening of our knowledge of African American participation in the outdoors.