Senior Independent Study Theses from 2018
Learning to Work: The Success of English Acquisition in Education vs. the Tourism Industry in the Cloud Forest of Ecuador, Katie Mandych
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
More Than a Club: An Analysis of Black Women’s Identity, Networks, and Social Mobility in Black Greek-letter Organizations, Clarke Martin
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
Athletes' Influence and Evolution in Social Movements in America, Gary Muntean
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
Experiences of the Plague in 14th Century Avignon, France, Hope E. Nelson
Department: History; Sociology and Anthropology
"I Love Them and I Hate Them:" The Effects of Gentrification on Collective Efficacy in Detroit Neighborhoods, Rose Osburn
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
"Let's Talk About Sex, Baby": A Study Analyzing the Effects of Sexual Education, Peer Communication, and Sexual Shame, Natalie Rummel
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
“So, You Do Drugs?”: A Study on Public Perceptions & Stigma of Medical Marijuana & Prescription Opioids, Bonita Salmeron
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
She Can Brew It Ale By Herself: Women in the Male Dominated Craft Beer Industry, Cameron S. Smythe
Department: Sociology and Anthropology; Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
The Reinterpretation and Transformation of the American Liberal Arts Model in the Indian Context, Nikhil Tummalapalli
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
An Investigation of the Fascistic Tendencies Within the Israeli Radical Right, Arieh N. Venick
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
Sociocultural Perspectives on Adaptability of Dogs at Shelters, Jacob Weindling
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
Understanding the Opportunity Structure and Sustainable Development Strategies for Nongovernmental Organizations in China, Yichu Xu
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
Senior Independent Study Theses from 2017
Adjusting to Life in the United States: A Qualitative Study on the Acculturation of Female Refugees from Iraq in the US, Caroline F. Andrews
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
Pulling the Plug on a Community Hospital: An Analysis on the Intersection of Gentrification and Affordable Healthcare Access in New York City's West Village, Beatrice S. Apikos-Bennett
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
“You PC, bro?” “Why is your title gendered?” Examining Political Correctness on The College of Wooster Campus, Emilio S. Bartlett Asenjo
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
Who Are You When You’re Online? A Study of How People Present Themselves in their Online Dating Profiles and the Stigma of Online Dating, Danielle M. Besancon
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
The Big Man and The Big House: The Influence of Protestantism on the Danish and American Prison Systems, Elizabeth C. Brewington
Department: Religious Studies; Sociology and Anthropology
Experiences and Misrepresentation of Minority Leadership in Football, Troy Brown
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
Balance and Conflict: A Comparative Ethnography of the Experiences of Conflict Japanese Christians Face When Balancing Their Cultural and Religious Identities in Japan and the United States of America, Jasmine Carruth
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
What’s Race Got To Do With It: The Preparation and Perceptions of Social Workers Working with Diverse Racial Populations, Ashley N. Casey
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
Beliefs, Barriers, and Bridging Gaps: Clinical Care in an Urban Puerto Rican Population, Celia S. Connolly
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
A Comparative Analysis of the Māori and Shoshone Bannock People and their Utilization of Volcanic Geothermal Features, Lucy Cummins
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
"Ask your Doctor": A Study of Causes and Consequences of Pill Culture in the U.S., Sydney Failing
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
Food Activists or “Small Capitalists?”: The Tension between Market Forces and Social Goals at Urban Agricultural Organizations in Cleveland, OH and Detroit, MI, Grace Gamble
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
Mental Disorders and Illness: Ethnic Minorities' Cultural Perspectives on Professional Treatment, Drucella A. Garcia
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
"Destroyer or Detroit: An Investigation of the Relationship Between Urban Revitalization and Public-Art In Detroit, Michigan Through Photographic Cartography, Aram E. Gibson
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
Home Is Where the School Is: An Investigation of the Experiences of Homeschooled Students Transitioning to College, Naya Simone Guthrie
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
Coming Home: The Unique Experiences of Former Criminals Returning to Small Towns, Zoe Hostetler
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
Masculinity and Damaged Selves: Football Players' Perspectives on Manhood, Yasmine Hunt-Strong
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
The Case for Home: An Analysis of a Successful Homeless Shelter in East Tennessee, Laura R. Ivy
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
Hispanic/Latino Accessibility to Health Care, Arue Z. Jacobo
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
A Hindu Temple in Kalamazoo: An Ethnographic Study on the Role of Temple Communities in the Preservation and Re-creation of Identity among Hindu-Americans, Brenton David Kalinowski
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
"The Perfect Life is Just to Balance:" Ayurveda as a Growing Cultural, Social, and Medical Movement in the United States, Nell Krahnke
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
Barriers to Going Green: Overcoming Resistance to Sustainable Interior Design, Averi Lassiter
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
Multiple Intelligences and Teaching Pedagogy, Eli Looper
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
Examining the Role of the Public Health Community During the Ebola and Zika Epidemic in the U.S., Samantha Lunsford
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
“Title IX … It’s All That, But It’s Not”: An Anthropological Perspective on Black Women in Sport, Dyese N. Osaze
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
Rebuilding a Community: A Consideration of the Syncretic Healing Practices and the Symbols the Healers Manipulate, Emily M. Patterson
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
Self, Identity, and Stigma: An Examination of the Chronically Ill Athlete, Kennedy C. Payne
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
"Orange Is the New Black": The Skin-Tanning Phenomenon and Its Influence on Perceptions of Race, Class, and Gender, Madeleine Polovick
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
Still Saluting: An Exploration of the Identities of Veterans of the United States Military Who Pursue Protective Service Work Upon Reentry into Civilian Life, Lauren E. Pugliese
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
“Nurse Practitioners and Education: Changes in Education and the Future of the Profession”, Alexandra Pullella
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
School Outside?: An ethnography of American forest kindergartens and nature preschools and how “nature” is used in these “classrooms”, Emily T. Reid
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
Unleashing Potential: An Investigation of the Social Effects of Pediatric Autism Assistance Dogs, Julia B. Rothschild
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
99 Bottles of Wine on the Wall: How the Commodification of Terroir Impacts Small Producer Viability in a Global Economy, Christina Solazzo
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
From Life Circumstance to Cultural Competence: Understanding Barriers to Health Care Access Among Spanish-Speaking Populations in the United States, Elena M. Soyer
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
Short Term Missionary Work in Haiti, Maria C. Steinert
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
Perceptions of Mental Illness in Ghanaian Metropolitan Areas and the Effect of Public Education and Open Discussion., Akosua Thompson
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
Stigma and Construction of Childfree Identity in a Pro-natalist Society, Tiffany Trunk
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
Negroid Hermaphrodite to Seated Man: An In-Depth Analysis of Modern and Ancient Ideas of Race and Ethnicity in the Cleveland Museum of Art, Emily Walker
Department: Classical Studies; Sociology and Anthropology
Celebration and Rebellion: An Anthropological Exploration of Cumbia-Punk as the New Wave of Punk Identity, Elena Williams-Moreiras
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
The Role of Ethnic Enclaves on the Integration Process of Modern Immigrants: Case Studies in Columbus, Ohio and France, Caitlin Ziegert McCombs
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
Senior Independent Study Theses from 2016
The Multifaceted Ethnic Identities of Salvadoran-Americans: The Challenges, Pride and Everything in Between, Isabel Abarca
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
Gift Exchange and Reciprocation in the Context of Music Consumption, Shelby Bretschger
Department: Economics; Sociology and Anthropology
Cruising The Borderlands: Queer Latinx Creating Space in Lowrider Culture, Elisia I. Campos
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
From Fried Bologna Sandwich to Butternut Squash Prosciutto Flatbread: Examining Food Culture as a Multivocal Dominant Symbol in the Wessex, Ohio Restaurant Foodscape, Clare T. Carlson
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
Yo Soy Una Mujer, Yo Soy Latina, Now you see my life in the U.S.: Testimonies of Undocumented Latina Women, A Navigation of their everyday lives through a Devised Performance, Stephanie Castrejon
Department: Sociology and Anthropology; Theatre and Dance
“Shikata Ga Nai:” An Analysis of the Japanese American Experience of Internment, Social Injustice, and Perseverance, Hayley J. Cooper
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
Opportunity and Empowerment in Female Prison Reentry in Wooster, OH, Zoe E. Cunningham-Cook
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
Gracias a La Casa Mono, progreso: A critical analysis of sustainable tourism in Nicaragua, Cullen T. Dolson
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
"The Word Is Hula": An Exploration of the Use of Hula in Christian Churches on Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi, Emily Donato
Department: Sociology and Anthropology; Theatre and Dance
“You Can’t Change What You Were”: Liminality and the Process of Role Exit Among Former Amish, Kathryn Foster
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
The Saints of the Gridiron and Pro Football Pilgrimage: An Analysis of the Role of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in American Culture, Michelle Glazer
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
The Effects of Skin Tone on Perceptions of Police Officers Among African Americans, Heather Ann Honn
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
My Immigrant Haitian Family: Life Stories on Acclimation in the United States., Paris Jerome
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
The Civic Effects of Social Capital in Alternative Food Networks: A Case Study of the Wooster Local Food Cooperative Inc. in Ohio, Natalie D. Kahn
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
Strategic Essentialism and Hidden Nuance in Tibetan Refugee Culture in the United States, Ben Kingstone
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
These Are Our Mountains: Analysis of Highland Games in the Southern United States as a Performance of Scottish American Culture, Gracie Kral
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
The Study of Color Red in Chinese Immigrant Culture, Yibing Li
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
An Examination of Federal Agent and Attorney Perceptions, Gabriel Lopez
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
The Glass Ceiling in Schools: An Ethnographic Approach to Understanding the Racial and Economic Inequalities in Selected Chicago City and Suburban Schools, MacKenzie Rae Love
Department: Africana Studies; Sociology and Anthropology
One Fish, Two Fish, Dead Fish, Tourist: Determining How a Resident's Demographic Factors Influence Their Perception of the Community of La Parguera, Puerto Rico, Amy L. Melena
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
The Co-Production of Tourism Among Amish Small Business Owners: Redefining “Separation From the World”, Paris Brielle Nahas
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
Meeting at the Center: The Role of Amish Birthing Centers in Mixing Modern Medicine and Religion, Leah M. Penner
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
Money for Soul: The Effects of Consumer Culture in the Music Industry, Connor S. Peterson
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
"You Can't Spell Earth Without ART": The Artistry of Women of Color in Scholarship and Activism, Erin M. Posey
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
The Pigeon Lady and Public Policy: The Public Conceptions and Media Depictions of Homelessness and the Ability to Design and Deliver Social Services, Marisa A. Quiery
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
A Bone to Pick: Biological Sex Determination and Gender Interpretation of Maya Burials, Krystal P. Reynolds
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
The Elephant in the Room, The Fetus in the Womb: Disability Rights Activists’ Perspectives on Prenatal Genetic Testing and Selective Termination of Down syndrome, Evangeline Maria Smith
Department: Religious Studies; Sociology and Anthropology
"School is not a business": Chicago Educators' Perceptions of the Neoliberal Turn in Education, Dana Stamos
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
Misunderstood and Mistreated: A Case Study of Drug Court as a Functional Treatment Method for Drug Addicts, Claire E. Trescher
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
Examining Conceptions of the Nation at World's Fairs and Expositions, 1958-2015, Elliott H. Valentine
Department: History; Sociology and Anthropology
America's Invisible Punishment: An Analysis of the History, Impact, and Public Perceptions of Felon Disenfranchisement, Katherine LA Wollmer
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
Euskaldunak or Amerikanuak: An Introduction to the Folklore of the Boise Basques and its Contribution to the Basque-American Identity, Leah Zavaleta
Department: English; Sociology and Anthropology
Senior Independent Study Theses from 2015
Do You Have the Heart For It?: An Anthropological Examination of Portrayals of Aztec Human Sacrifice in Popular Culture, Courtney F. Astrom
Department: Archaeology; Sociology and Anthropology
American Co-eds and the Great Recession: A Study of Job Opportunities for Recent College Graduates Based Upon the Decade of Graduation, Kiara A. Bermudez
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
Where Should We Look? Accountability, Stakeholder Relationships, and the Role of an NGO as a Secondary Political Institution in Tanzania: A Case Study Analysis, Ellen R. Boyd
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
Distributing Scarcity: Structure, Agency, And The Moral Categorization Of Food Pantry Users, Nina R. Breyer
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
A Paradox of Visibility: Case study of a tent city in Wooster, Ohio, Teresa Butel
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
An Investigation of the Relationship Between Young Adult Substance Use Behavior, Gender, Peer Influence, and Implications for Future Prevention Programs, Georgia Callahan
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
A Neopagan Renaissance: Appropriation of Medieval Imagery and Pre-Christian Folklore in the Magazine Covers of Harvest, Jennifer C. Caventer
Department: Art and Art History; Sociology and Anthropology
Art or Artifact? African Objects in the Museum, Elizabeth Chamis
Department: Art and Art History; Sociology and Anthropology
Once Upon the Fifteenth Year: An Exploration of Identity Formation Within the Cultural Practice of Quinceañeras in Contemporary Nicaragua, Ashley Melissa Chavez-White
Department: Sociology and Anthropology; Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
What is success?: A case study of the Barberton Community Development Corporation and the discourse on community development success, Bailey R. Connor
Department: Economics; Sociology and Anthropology
Parental Attitudes Towards Unsupervised and Unstructured Play, Georgia Corran
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
How do Correctional Programs Help Ex-Offenders Obtain Employment after going through Reentry?, Anthony T. Durkin
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
Spontaneous Combustion: Examining the Spectacle of Burning Man, Celeste E. Endlich
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
Let's Talk About Shame: An In-Depth Analysis of How Shame Influences the College of Wooster Student Experience, Alanna Faust
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
Tuning Togetherness: Negotiating Senses of Place and Community Through Street Performance in Little Five Points, Atlanta, Matthew Adam Germaine
Department: Sociology and Anthropology
Stuck In the Middle with You: Non-Western Medical Practices in Biomedical Hospital Settings, Emma Gorin
Department: Sociology and Anthropology