Browsing by Author "Kent, Suzanne, committee member"
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Item Open Access A cross-generational study of video gaming: players' cultural models, felt stigma, and subjective well-being(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Smarr-Foster, Cheryl, author; Snodgrass, Jeffrey, advisor; Kent, Suzanne, committee member; Mao, KuoRay, committee memberVideo game players are oftentimes stigmatized as being lazy, unhealthy, immature, addicts, and other negative stereotypes. In this thesis, I question how conflicting cultural understandings might influence such stigmatization, thereby impacting the subjective well-being of video game players from different generational/age groups. I examine how cognitive anthropological theories and methods can inform sociological ideas about how stigma and labeling might emerge from generational differences in cultural norms and values. I investigate this idea using cognitive anthropological notions of shared and socially transmitted models of reality held in individual minds, i.e., cultural models (D'Andrade, 1995). I also looked at cultural consensus (Weller, 2007) to understand culturally accepted thoughts and behaviors, and cultural consonance (Dressler W, 2005) to explore how low cultural consensus might manifest through social stigmatization and impact video game players' sense of well-being. From this point of view, video game players, who don't behave per culturally consensual notions about what constitutes good and proper behavior by playing video games can be low in "cultural consonance" and stigmatized as deviant. I explain how cultural models around video gaming are influenced by popular media and misunderstandings about video game players in general. I provide examples to show how these misunderstandings might inform inappropriate medical diagnoses of so-called "addiction" (Kardefelt-Winther, 2017). Furthermore, I show how not being "consonant" with mainstream understandings or "models" of the good life might lead to what are interpreted as characteristic signs of addiction: e.g., withdrawal from family and friends (stigmatizing social-networks) and concealing the behavior (stigma management). This thesis is divided into six chapters. The first chapter is an introduction to video game play and offers my own perspective to elucidate my interest, expertise, and unintentional, yet probable, biases. Chapter one includes an overview of the problem, theory, and methods. Chapter two provides a brief history of video games in the USA, video game genres, video game stigma, demographics of video game players, and descriptions of interviewees. Chapter three is a discussion of the cognitive anthropological approach, and a briefing on how cultural models (D'Andrade, 1995), cultural consensus (Weller, 2007), and cultural consonance (Dressler, 2005) can impact subjective well-being (Diener, 1985). This chapter also includes a discussion on sociological theories of stigma, labeling, and moral panic (Cohen, 1972/1980), and stigma management (Herek, 1996). I also discuss generations and age groups, explaining my reason for grouping players into three age categories; Late Millennials (18-27), Early Millennials (28-37) GenX and Boomers (38 +), as well as the importance of including age variables in video game studies. Chapters four explains my three-phase iterative research methods of data collection and analysis (participant observation, semi-structured interviews, and field surveys). Chapter five includes results and discussion, and chapter six concludes and summarizes this study.Item Open Access Crossing the home-school boundary: bilingual education in a Colorado kindergarten(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2012) Eisenhauer, Scarlett, author; Snodgrass, Jeffrey, advisor; Hempel, Lynn, committee member; Kent, Suzanne, committee member; Sherman, Kathleen, committee memberWithin the United States school systems, there are many children who are considered "at-risk," "deficient," and "unlikely to succeed." Numerous of them are minority and poor children who come from cultural backgrounds unlike those of the middle and upper class. For many Hispanic students, school embodies a foreign culture with which they are unfamiliar. This can cause serious incongruities for the Hispanic students between their home and school boundaries which hinders their ability to transition into the boundaries of school and experience success. The present research examines the Mezcla Elementary Kindergarten in Colorado to evaluate its bilingual program. The school provides support for the Hispanic students who are new to the norms and expectations of school. The three main supports discussed are "Slow to go Fast," Language, and Home Visits. Using both qualitative and quantitative data, I suggest that Mezcla Elementary is successful in reducing some barriers to entering school for poor Hispanic kindergarteners.Item Open Access One thing happens, and then another one comes right after.' Anthropological perspectives on vulnerability, resilience, and social justice for a Latinx community in post-Harvey Houston(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2020) Azadegan, Shadi, author; Browne, Katherine, advisor; Kent, Suzanne, committee member; Hempel, Lynn, committee memberThe materially destructive and socially disruptive impacts of natural hazards run parallel to historical inequalities that put marginalized communities in harm's way. The purpose of this thesis project is to gain insights into the role that chronic disaster conditions play in actualizing acute disaster impacts. I begin with a discussion of anthropological perspectives on disaster vulnerability and resilience and explore social justice and capabilities theory as a starting point to improve disaster recovery approaches. I use this framework to analyze my findings from conversations with residents of a low-income Latinx community in Houston, Texas that was impacted by Hurricane Harvey. Next, I discuss the approaches to disaster recovery employed by government agencies and community-based organizations (CBOs). I conclude this thesis with a discussion of how government agencies and CBOs can apply these insights to better support marginalized communities during disaster recovery.Item Open Access Somali refugee women: an Ubuntu perspective on health and wellbeing in Fort Morgan, Colorado(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Temanju, Namuyaba Namunyak, author; Ishiwata, Eric, advisor; Souza, Caridad, committee member; Kent, Suzanne, committee memberThis qualitative study explores the perspectives and stories of the Somali refugee women who live in Fort Morgan, Colorado. This study suggests that the current condition of Somali women's access to resources is underserved. To date there has not been a full assessment that is focused on Somali women's perspective. Therefore, this thesis works to give voice to the most marginalized segment of the population/ community, Muslim women from refugee backgrounds.Item Open Access The experiences of Latina students during their first year of attendance at a four-year university(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2016) Perdigon, Nereida, author; Aragon, Antonette, advisor; Gloeckner, Gene, advisor; Anderson, Sharon, committee member; Kent, Suzanne, committee memberLatin@ is a minority group that has grown rapidly in the last twenty years in the United States. However, Latin@s have low participation in higher education, placing the group in a disadvantaged position compared with other ethnic groups. Therefore, it is important for the United States to educate and appropriately employ this group. This qualitative study used the counter-storytelling methodology to highlight the personal experiences (Creswell, 2008, p. 514) of eight Latina/Chicana students during their first year within a public institution. The main instruments to collect the data were face-to-face interviews and a letter-to-self written by the participants. The analysis was done using a triple framework of Critical Race Theory, Latino Critical Theory, and Community Cultural Wealth. This study found several common results: Participants were thankful for their families’ support during this process in the university. Most participants indicated that there was alack of information in high schools for minoritized groups, especially with financial aid. Participants also specified having a deep desire to complete their degree, but their financial needs prevented them from totally concentrating on their academic progress. Furthermore, participants expressed their negative experience during their first year in college such as discrimination, microaggressions and oppression by the faculty, administrative staff, and their peers. This study supports former studies where discrimination, oppression, and lack of economic resources prevail in the lives of Latin@ students (Castillo & Hill, 2004; Cavazos, Johnson, & Scott, 2010; Pappamihiel & Moreno, 2011; Perez Huber, 2009, 2011). This study also supports the cultural value that these students bring to universities and negates the predominant assumption that Latin@ families discourage retention, when this study demonstrates the opposite (Aragon, 2014; Yosso, 2005).Item Open Access The perils of parenting: a phenomenological study of the unpartnered mother scholar experience(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2024) Kopp, Claire, author; Barone, Ryan, advisor; Jennings, Louise, committee member; Kent, Suzanne, committee member; Reynolds, Cerisa, committee memberAs recent attacks on the rights of women and gender minorities exemplify, sexism and gender privilege are structural forces ingrained in the fabric of U.S. society. Unfortunately, higher education is not immune to such structural forces and can reinforce the power associated with gender privilege. This phenomenological research study, in concert with my own recollections and anecdotes, critically examines how structures within higher education support the empowerment of privilege through the stigma of unpartnered motherhood and the femininization of caregiving. The study explores the experiences of nine unpartnered student parents who directly encounter significant structural barriers related to sexism and gender privilege. Through narrative-storytelling and poetic analysis, this study documents the lived experiences of nine diverse unpartnered mothers living with extreme precarity, facing incredible uphill struggles to make a new and better life for themselves and their children. The research findings uncover a high level of mental health challenge for unpartnered mothers and their children but also a high level of motivation and desire to succeed within their selected programs. The study also uncovers how capitalist influenced ideals of motherhood conflict with standards of ideal scholarship to create an identity crisis whereby one is forced to choose between being a good scholar or a good mother. Practical recommendations are provided for service providers including administrators, faculty, and student service units.Item Open Access To treat or not to treat: the evolution of wastewater treatment management approaches(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2018) Turner, Sydney S., author; Venayagamoorthy, S. Karan, advisor; Grigg, Neil, committee member; Kent, Suzanne, committee memberThe research presented in this thesis focuses on wastewater management practices to further the understanding of the evolution of wastewater treatment approaches. Within this thesis, wastewater treatment technologies and processes are categorized into four groups: dilution dependent, conventional, alternative, and emerging. The evolution of wastewater treatment technologies is initiated with initial investment by a society to self-organize; transformed when there are alterations in the way the society lives, primarily considering the urbanization and industrialization of societies; and satisfied when the society has incorporated sustainable practices that can ensure water security for future generations. The motivation of this research is to interpret how the concept of conventional wastewater treatment can be driven to encompass more sustainable approaches in both the developed and developing world. In order to facilitate understanding of this, we aim to address the following: what wastewater technologies are available and how practical are they?, what are some significant drivers that have driven the evolution of wastewater treatment up till now?, how do institutional arrangements affect implementation of technologies?, and how does public perception play a role in the adoption or repudiation of wastewater treatment technologies? To investigate these questions, South Africa and the United States were used as primary case studies. There is an abundance of technologies used in the field of wastewater treatment; however, the resources (natural, financial, and technical) of a society will determine the practicality of implementing certain technologies. The major drivers that lead to the transformation of treatment technologies include the following: population growth and urbanization, public health initiatives, actions to prevent the degradation of the natural environment, capacity building within institutional arrangements such as societal organization and regulation, concerns of climate change, objectives to minimize conflict, the demand on water from energy and food sectors, and social perception of science. In the United States, "conventional" technologies have been pushed to encompass secondary treatment standards for point source wastewater through policy measures. South Africa, due to its historical Apartheid era, has an additional layer of water management methods that pertains to the access to sanitation services as a human right. In both countries, development of industry has been clashing with preserving the environment and protecting public health. Sustainable, emerging technologies are trying to harmonize economic growth and environmental conservation by treating wastewater as a feed of resources to be recovered. In the exploratory Wastewater Treatment Survey presented in this thesis, responses from 655 U.S. participants were analyzed to demonstrate the effectiveness of surveys to produce social perception data for water managers. From the survey, it was observed that over 35% of U.S. participants were not at all likely or not so likely able to explain what happens to their wastewater. Even within the STEM field respondents, 30% were unsure what happens to their wastewater. This exemplifies a wide gap in the link between humans and their waste disposal. Of the 655 U.S. respondents, over 90% were moderately to extremely concerned about water pollution. A higher level of concern for wastewater pollution was also correlated with people who believed they had a better understanding of wastewater treatment. Those who were more concerned about water pollution were also more likely to get involved in water resources management activities. The respondents chose protecting public health and the integrity of the environment as the two main reasons why wastewater treatment is necessary. Of the U.S. respondents, around three-quarters of the participants believe that no longer can dilution be treated as the solution to pollution with the majority of the other participants believing that it may only be conditionally sufficient. Many alternative and emerging technologies are being heavily scrutinized by the public. Public buy-in is necessary to transform the wastewater field and will only be accomplished when societal perception and wastewater treatment technologies are linked. From the survey data, almost 60% of the U.S. participants were willing to increase a utility bill by at least 3 additional USD to pay for improvements in their wastewater treatment plant's treatment capabilities whereas only 46% were willing to pay at least 3 additional USD for improvements in their wastewater treatment plant's energy efficiency. In the real world, these improvements for a treatment plant may not be mutually exclusive; however, this type of information may help a water manager build public buy-in for the project. Only 14.35% of U.S. respondents were completely willing to drink direct potable reuse water, with an additional 22.29% very willing to drink it.Item Open Access Transforming food politics: community to community's intersectional ecofeminism and food sovereignty(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2018) Coopwood, Shelby L., author; Sbicca, Joshua, advisor; Raynolds, Laura, committee member; Kent, Suzanne, committee memberThis thesis illustrates the advantages of utilizing an intersectional approach to analyzing problems in the food system and the activism of the food movement. This research undertakes the case of Community to Community, a grassroots organization that employs an intersectional analysis in their activism to center the voices and perspectives of women, to support and fight alongside farmworkers, and to take care of the environment. Their work is grounded in ecofeminism, and ultimately strives for food sovereignty. Semi-structured interviews with members of Community to Community were conducted to explore perceptions of their guiding frameworks. Additionally, content analysis and supplemental participant observation was completed to triangulate an understanding of how the organization approaches social justice and social change. Findings reveal that while ecofeminism provides a comprehensive analysis of food system problems, when combined with the transformative politics at the heart of food sovereignty, these frameworks offer a radical intersectional praxis that focuses on transforming social relations in the food system and beyond.Item Open Access What factors affect school attendance? Quantitative and qualitative study of evidence from Nepal(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Bhattarai, Niroj Kumar, author; Bernasek, Alexandra, advisor; Pena, Anita Alves, advisor; Vasudevan, Ramaa, committee member; Kent, Suzanne, committee member; Canetto, Silvia, committee memberThere exist many factors that impact school attendance of students in developing countries. Factors range from the distance to school from a student's home to the availability of gender-specific restrooms. A project in the south east part of Nepal that built gender-specific restrooms and brought running water to the school increased enrollment and attendance of the students, particularly of girls. To study what other factors impact attendance, a survey was conducted in and around Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. An econometric study of the data generated by the survey showed that time spent studying at home, having an educated mother and an employed mother, all had positive effect on students' attendance. Distance to school, presence of siblings, and lack of computers had negative effects on attendance. The data also demonstrated gender differences in what and how various factors affected attendance at the secondary level of education in Nepal.