Journal of Undergraduate Research

Natalie Williams and Dr. John Seggar, Sociology Orphans in developing countries raised in social institutions often manifest extreme developmental delays. Autism is a common layman diagnosis for such children due to the pattern of their developmental delays. Most orphans raised in such situations show severe delays in language skills, social interaction, and play behavior. All […]

Joshua Schkrohowsky and Dr. Bruce Chadwick, Sociology Introduction The Buruli ulcer (BU), caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans, has been identified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as one of the leading endemic tropical diseases in West Africa (2). M. ulcerans, at the site of infection, forms a subcutaneous nodule. This nodule, unless immediately excised, leads to […]

Mark Mills and Professor Lynn England, Sociology In my research proposal, I indicated that my research had three primary objectives: 1) discover the underlying psychosocial reasons for Mexican immigration and evaluate the push/pull theory of immigration (i.e. what factors, either psychological, economic, or social, push immigrants away from their native land, and what factors pull […]

Kyler Kronmiller and Dr. Bruce Chadwick, Sociology In the fifty-three years since its birth, the state of Israel has been in perpetual conflict with its Arab neighbors. On this small piece of disputed land, too many peoples compete for too little space. Both Israelis and Arabs claim religious roots and heritage in the same small […]

David William Haas and Dr. Renata Forste, Sociology Adolescent sexual activity is an important social issue because it is associated with other high-risk behaviors such as alcohol and substance abuse. Past studies have generally examined factors related to the initiation of sexual activity among youth, rather than modeling the factors predictive of sexual abstinence. Early […]

Scott A. Baldwin and Dr. John P. Hoffmann, Sociology Depression is a common ailment in the United States, affecting approximately 10% of men and 20% of women during their lifetimes.1 Moreover, there is evidence that among adolescents rates of depression have increased over the past two to three decades.2 Studies have identified parental depression as […]

Brian Barber and Dr. Shawn Fletcher Dorius, Sociology With an estimated one quarter of America’s youth between the ages of 10 and 17 exhibiting signs of high risk or dysfunctional behaviors, organizations aimed at intervention and positive socialization have flourished over the past decade. Research has shown that within these organizations a social environment approach […]

Dr. Stephen Bahr and Cassandra J. Dorius, Sociology My research objective was to obtain valid estimates of adolescent drug use in the state of Utah, including an estimate of change over the past thirteen years and a comparison with adolescent drug use across the United States. The data were obtained from the 1997 School Survey […]

Kimberley Carter Campbell and Dr. Renata Forste, Sociology Introduction Past research on AIDS, has focused generally on high risk groups; such as homosexual men and intravenous drug users. In many of these studies the cultural and contextual facts concerning sexual interaction have been ignored (1). Few studies of AIDS have focused on heterosexual men and […]

Oertel Sparks and Dr. Carol Ward, Sociology To increase understanding of the family structure of one group in South Africa, I conducted this field study in East London where almost all of the blacks belong to the Xhosa tribe. Family is an important unit of socialization in all societies and is a key element to […]