<p> This thesis explores the transformative effects of immigration from the 1960s through the 2010s among women from Taiwan living in the County of Santa Clara. The study focused on three substantive areas: (1) early life experiences and factors leading to immigration; (2) shifts in social identities after leaving Taiwan (e.g., political, national, and ethnic self-concepts in various contexts); and (3) practices of child-rearing. Several methodological tools were employed during the data collection phase of the research process, including interviews, surveys, and participant observations. The findings of this study suggested a dynamic process of change in which informants adapted to, were affected by, and influenced their new milieus to varying degrees. Although a number of patterns were evident in the broader experiences of participants, the actual decisions (e.g., how to raise children) and individual changes (e.g., the choice of ethnic identification) were often unique. These findings add to the body of scholarly knowledge concerning the lived experiences of Taiwanese Americans and their distinct challenges, but they also suggest the need to extend theoretical discussions related to transnationalism, ethnogenesis, and parallel dual frame of reference for a clearer understanding of immigrant experiences in a rapidly changing American suburbia.</p>

<p> Since the end of the Civil Rights era, a new paradigm has emerged for understanding race and racism in American society. This neoliberal hegemonic discourse argues that systemic racism ended with the abolishment of formal, juridical racism and that any continued investment in race is both unnecessary and deeply problematic. Critical race theorists have named this framework color-blind racism. In recent years, color-blind racist discourse has been repackaged under a &#129;"post-race" label and the election of America&#129;'s first non-White president has only served to bolster notions that America might have somehow <i>transcended race</i>. </p><p> For college students, the undergraduate years are often a time of great intellectual, emotional, and spiritual upheaval and this instability makes college a prime site for examining individuals&#129;' meaning-making and identity formation processes. Students of color are no exception to this overall phenomenon and the literature on racial identity development speaks to the dramatic changes in self-concept that individuals of color often experience while attending college. One group of students of color, Asian American college students, are deeply understudied and there is little scholarly writing on Asian American college students' racial identity development process. </p><p> This dissertation is a qualitative study of the effects of color-blind racism on the racial identity meaning-making of Asian American college freshmen. Using a narrative inquiry methodology, the author conducted lengthy in-person interviews with nine participants. The emergent themes from the study indicate that the participants&#129;' racial meaning-making process was heavily laden with elements of the ethnicity paradigm of race, color-blind racist tropes, and Asian American racial tropes. The study results suggest that these participants&#129;' hold little in the way of racial identity consciousness, as Asian Americans, and that their heavy investment in ethnic identity works to support a color-blind racial frame. Furthermore, elements of color-blind racism and Asian American racial formation appear to interlock in unique ways to produce complicity with the logic of color-blind racism and support for key elements of White racial hegemony. Further research is needed on the effects of color-blind racism on the identity development of college students broadly, and on Asian American students specifically.</p>

<p> The purpose of this project was to partner with a host agency, locate a potential funding source, and write a grant to fund for a program called Prevention of Maltreatment to address the needs of Vietnamese families that are at risk for maltreatment. The program will be implemented at the Child Abuse Prevention Center located in Orange County, California. A literature review was conducted to examine Vietnamese families' parenting skills, understanding of child welfare system, and the barriers they encountered for child-rearing. The purpose of this Prevention of Maltreatment program is to educate Vietnamese families on child abuse, parenting tools, cultural differences and etc. The actual submission or funding of this grant was not required for the successful completion of the project.</p>

<p> This study describes the acculturation, dietary habits and health status indicators among first generation Filipino American immigrants and investigates the relationship among these variables. A non-experimental, quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional design (n=210) was used in the study. Acculturation was measured using the Short Acculturation Scale for Filipino Americans (ASASFA). Dietary pattern was measured using the Dietary Acculturation Questionnaire for Filipino Americans (DAQFA) and the Block's Short Food Frequency Questionnaire (SFFQ). Health indicators included Body Mass Index (BMI), waist circumference and waist-hip ratio (WHR). Using the American guidelines, 36.6% women and 61.9% men were overweight or obese, 23.9% women and 19.7% men had increased waist circumference and 60.4% women and 67.1% men had increased WHR. Using Asian guidelines, overweight/obesity rates increased to 67.9% women and 86.9% men, increased waist circumference was 50.7% women and 50% men. Western dietary intake was significantly correlated with caloric intake (p&lt;.01), percent fat intake (p&lt;.05), BMI (p&lt;.01) and waist circumference (p&lt;.05). Caloric intake was significantly correlated with BMI (p&lt;.01) and waist circumference (p&lt;.01). Fat intake had a significant positive correlation with BMI (p&lt;.05). Filipino American immigrants have increased risks in diet-related chronic diseases including increased BMI, waist, WHR and increased fat intake. The results of this study provide health care providers with information on the importance of using appropriate anthropometric measurement guidelines in screening for health risks and the importance of dietary assessment and nutritional counselling in this population.</p>

This thesis explores the changing identity of Asian North American women in the past thirty years through the analysis of the work of three Asian North American female artists, Liu Hung (b.1948), Jin-me Yoon (b.1960), and Nikki S. Lee (b.1970). It argues that Asian North American female identity has evolved in three stages: firstly, it shows a close connection with a diasporic imagined community bound by ones cultural origin; secondly, it is rooted in a settled diasporic community, meanwhile remains tied to the original homeland as an imaginary political space for unification; lastly, the new transnational Asian female identity rejects classification based on race and gender and embraces an identity rooted in globalization. / History of Art, Design and Visual Culture

Thesis (D. Min.)--Columbia International University, 2007. / Typescript. "March, 2007." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 129-132).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Western Conservative Baptist Seminary, 1995. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 145-147).

Thesis (Th. M.)--Dallas Theological Seminary, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references(leaves [59]-66).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2000. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 213-237). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

Thesis (D. Min.)--Columbia International University, 2007. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 129-132).