Journal of Undergraduate Research

Amanda Barden and Professor Lynn England, Sociology The time I spent in Teziutlan researching and learning about the 1999 floods there was uplifting but also scientifically frustrating. The goal of this project was to learn about what kind of impact the floods had on the members of the church there, what kind of influence the church […]

Scott Albrecht and Dr. Ralph Brown, Department of Sociology I posit here that three variables must be considered when discussing the devolvement of caste as the dominant element of Indian society: economic organization, the secularization of caste identities, and the disproportionate distribution of power as a remnant of the traditional economic arrangement. By tapping into […]

Cassandra J. Dorius and Dr. Vaughn R.A. Call, 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.1 Research has shown that within these organizations a social environment […]

Debra W. Armstrong and Dr. Renata T. Forste, Sociology Many adolescents today are involved in high risk behaviors which have negative health consequences, and which reduce the likelihood of them growing up to be responsible adults.1 Past research of high risk behavior has been largely based on cross-sectional, area specific data. In this research, national […]

Jonathan Oliver and Dr. Stephen J. Bahr, Family, Home and Social Sciences Substance Abuse has been a problem for several generations and is a major contributor to mental health problems. To address the issue of substance abuse, many treatment programs have been established with intentions to offer guidance and support to those individuals seeking relief […]

Kindra Clemence and Dr. Mikaela Dufur, Sociology Boarding schools are more popular in Africa than in the United States or Europe. In some countries, including Uganda, more than half of all students that finish secondary school spend at least some time in a boarding school. However, there has been almost no academic inquiry into the […]

Hayley Heath and Dr. Renata Forste, Sociology Access to maternal healthcare is seriously deficient in developing countries, particularly in rural areas of Africa. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 515,000 women die each year from pregnancy related causes, and more than half of these deaths occur in Africa (Mavalankar & Rosenfield, 2005). “Safe motherhood […]

Sara E. Stauffer and Dr. John Thomas, Social Sciences While working at the United States Senate in Washington, D.C., my attempts to determine the legal difference between a cult and a religion were met by brick walls and forks in the road. The question became one fraught with sticky nuances and thinly drawn lines; it […]

Miriam Walther and Dr. Mikaela Dufur, Sociology While 13.8% of workers in architecture and engineering occupations are women, 77.6% of personal care and service workers are female (Bureau of Labor and Statistics 2005). What is the cause of this discrepancy? While these occupations are so heavily gendered, 50.3% of workers in management, professional, and related […]

Sarah Savage and Dr. Vaughn Call, Sociology Rural communities are unique in that they have a limited number of eligible singles or “marriage pool” which restricts the choice of marriage partners. There is great importance in the number of potential partners in a marriage market because this number affects persons in the transition to their […]