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xviii, 274 p. : ill. (some col.) A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. / Environmental organizations in the US engage in a variety of political practices in order to meet their goals. Some organizations consciously pursue more contentious and oppositional actions to match their goals, while others adopt methods that align with conventional institutional practices to achieve their goals. This variation in the terrain of the environmental movement is indicated by the behavior of the environmental organizations that it largely comprises. The following is an investigation of the factors that influence the political advocacy of a sample of environmental organizations and thus the political praxis of the environmental movement proper. By deriving concepts from a 2006 survey of a sample of organizations in the US, three conceptual factors derived from social movement theory are operationalized: ideological identities, strategies of practice and resource structures. Using numerous independent variables, these concepts are then tested in a logistic regression for the effect they have on the odds that the organizations would oppose any of three historical events: the World Trade Organization (WTO), the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and/or the Kyoto protocols. A typology of environmental organizations is then constructed, tested, substantiated, problematized, and interpreted. Subsequently, a comparative case analysis of 11 distinct organizations was conducted that revealed the ways in which the leadership constructed meaning around their organizational practices and helped develop the typology further, explaining some of its shortcomings and adding nuance to the model that better explains contemporary environmental advocacy behavior in the US. Directions for future research are assessed, and both the challenging and encouraging implications that this research has for the environmental movement as a whole are extrapolated. / Committee in charge: Michael Dreiling, Chairperson, Sociology; Yvonne Braun, Member, Sociology; Gregory McLauchlan, Member, Sociology; David Frank, Outside Member, Honors College

Students of accredited social work programs are expected to demonstrate ten core competencies, including the ability to "engage in policy practice to advance social and economic well-being and to deliver effective social work services" (Council on Social Work Education, 2008). Despite this expectation, almost half of licensed social workers surveyed disagreed with the notion that they were adequately prepared for political engagement by their social work education (Ritter, 2007). Because social welfare policy courses are the primary curricular means for preparing generalist social workers for political advocacy, this study explores how undergraduate students respond to social welfare policy instructors' efforts to prepare them for political engagement. Quantitative and qualitative data from social work students in two distinct social welfare policy courses support the idea that participation in such a course can contribute to an increase in political interest and internal political efficacy. Based on surveys (n=31), focus groups (n=28), and interviews (n=11) with students, a model for social welfare policy instruction is proposed, which includes 11 recommended teaching methods and 7 key aspects of the students' learning experience. By listening to the voices and experiences of social work students, this study begins to fill a gap in the social work education and policy practice literature. The final conclusions of the study help clarify for social work educators methodologies by which they can more effectively support students in the development of political interest, internal political efficacy, and ultimately policy practice.