abstract: This paper is seeking to use exploratory factor analysis to construct a numeric representation of Hill Collin's matrix of domination. According to Hill Collins, the Current American matrix of domination, or the interlocking systems of oppression, includes race, gender, class, sexual orientation, religion, immigration status, disability, and age. The study uses exploratory factor analysis to construct a matrix of domination scale. The study launched an on-line survey (n=448) that was circulated through the social network Facebook to collect data. Factor analysis revealed that the constructed matrix of domination represents an accurate description of the current social hierarchy in the United States. Also, the constructed matrix of domination was an accurate predictor of the probability of experiencing domestic abuse according to the current available statistics. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.A. Social Justice and Human Rights 2011

The following study examines gendered learning experiences of a population of Appalachian migrants surveyed from the late 1970s to the early 1990s. The respondents who participated in the survey used for this study began their lives in Appalachia. These respondents then left Appalachia for various other areas in the country and even around the world only to ultimately return to the mountainous region later in their lives. To begin, theory will be introduced concerning the stratification of gender in the Appalachian economic landscape, as well as a theoretical framework placing Appalachian women in an interlocking web of oppression with other subjugated cultural groups. This outsider kinship found among Appalachian women and other socially ostracized groups, I argue with the support of theory, will foster an atmosphere of tolerance and positive interaction among Appalachian females and the people they meet in their new homes. Literature will also be presented regarding the heavily skewed nature of the role of women versus men in Appalachian society and economy. Using logistic regression, various aspects of migrant experiences away from Appalachia will be examined and analyzed, including the acquisition of job skills, tolerance-based knowledge, and positive interactions with neighbors in their new environment.