This thesis documents and examines Occupy Portland's organizational structure and the impact of this structure on the leadership roles of participants. Interviews with key activists and participant observation reveal that the ideologically influenced horizontal organization employed by the movement disrupts the emergence of centralized authority and charismatic leadership. This, in turn, encourages the rise of a "distributed leadership" comprised of multiple, task driven leaders. It finds that these task-oriented leaders within Occupy Portland tend to fulfill three specific leadership roles; the facilitation of process, the construction of movement structures, and the organization of actions. This study provides an exploration of conceptualizing leaders in a non-hierarchical, decentralized, consensus-based decision-making social movement and works to give needed expansion to the literature on social movement leadership.

The Monopoly Study of Authority was an institutional grant project designed to test the variables of authority and protection in a laboratory experiment conducted in the Small Groups Laboratory. Subjects (Ss) were recruited and paid a minimum wage to play Monopoly, while the Experimenter (E) manipulated the relevant variables, observed and video-taped the games. The hypothesis states that the greater the investment, the more likely will the individual make efforts to protect it. The dimensions of investment were ego involvement (desire to win, competitiveness), and resource commitment (Ss were offered rewards of double-time pay for winning the Monopoly game). Efforts to protect the investment were expected to take the form of personal authority, whereby Ss would overrule or otherwise ignore written rules/or rule changes instigated by E; or, delegated authority, whereby the Ss would accept E and/or the written rules as the legitimate authority over the game. Various and sundry administrative, technical and design problems resulted in the decision to prepare a research chronicle to provide a fuller accounting of investigative activity and to document the role of the circumstantial, the irrational, and nonrational, as well as the systematic logic and specific methodology of the research process. While the development of the research chronicle is well grounded in the work of William F. Whyte' s famous Appendix, the most useful rationale for this project was provided by Phillip E. Hammond's collection of chronicles, Sociologists at Work. This presentation is organized around the sequence of events in time and the sequence of ideas in the mind of E. The chronologic form is compatible with the underlying methodological approach of the project based on Barney G. Glaser and Anselm L. Strauss' work, The Discovery of Ground Theory, wherein theory is understood to emerge from data and the notion of theory as process is presented, the research process was loosely structured, each day's design emerging from the previous experimental session. This methodology allowed that questions peripheral to the initial hypothesis could be examined, and, in fact, a follow-up questionnaire study is presented in Appendix D. The discussion of the chronicle form and the methodology of grounded theory comprises Section One of this thesis. To conduct the actual experiments chronicled in Section Two, five, four person Monopoly sessions were scheduled. Ss were recruited on the basis of sex and affectual relationship. The Trial Session consisted of two males and two females instructed to play "ordinary Monopoly." The session was video-taped, and from the resultant tapes a demonstration tape was prepared documenting S sensitivity to the laboratory situation. In Session I the Ss were required to play Monopoly 'strictly according to the written rules,' attempting to create an external authority condition. In Session II E instituted "Barry's Rule," an arbitrary variant of the basic income rule in Monopoly. This design change was intended to enhance a condition of arbitrary, external authority in the form of E's created rule. In addition, the Ss were advised that the winner would be paid double-time. Session III repeated the double-time pay for winners condition, and Session IV was cancelled. All the sessions were videotaped, and all the tapes were reviewed. However, no adequate coding system was developed, and no quantitative data was produced. Impressionistic analysis, fortunately, afforded several useful interpretations which are cited in Section Three. Firstly, the double-time incentive did not create an investment condition, most likely because the reward (paid by check, several weeks later) was too abstract and too small ($12.00). "Barry's Rule" condition did elicit a strong negative response from the Ss, but also netted compliance. Section Four presents an "ideal" research design, thus rounding out the thesis from a chronicle of a research process, to an examination of the results, to the articulation of an approved design

This is a retrospective, population-based cohort study (extracted with VA Informatics and Computing Infrastructure; VINCI) of adult patients (age > 18) in the United States Veterans Affairs Health Care System (VA) who have received care in at least one of seven Central Appalachian VA healthcare systems between January 1, 2014 and December 31, 2017. The study is designed to assess the potential significant correlation between pertinent demographic variables (i.e., age, race, ethnicity, sex, service connection, rurality, era of service, and combat vet status) and diagnosis of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and/or Substance Use Disorder (SUD). Using statistical methods, these demographic variables will be held constant to examine the variance explained by military branch of service (i.e., Navy, Marines, Air Force, Army, National Guard) on diagnoses of PTSD and/or SUD. Veterans will be included in the data pull if they have been seen in at least one of the seven Central Appalachian VA healthcare systems and been diagnosed with PTSD and/or SUD through an inpatient or outpatient mental health clinic (verified by clinic stop code). The primary analysis will assess correlation (Pearson's r) between demographic variables and PTSD and/or SUD diagnoses; and using a general linear model (one-way ANOVA) to examine the impact of branch of military service on diagnoses of PTSD and/or SUD after controlling for other pertinent demographic variables.

This is an ethnographic case study of a musical community in Catalonia centered around the performance of bluegrass and old-time music. By using Victor and Edith Turners’ ideas of normative communitas, this paper identifies an aesthetic communitas model which describes a community centered around a performative genre. Through participant observation in the 16th Annual Al Ras Bluegrass and Old Time Music Festival and interviews with local musicians, fans, venue owners, and luthiers, the ethnographic narrative details the characteristics of the aesthetic communitas in Catalonia and searches for associations of Appalachia that accompany the cross-cultural manifestation of bluegrass and old-time music in Catalonia. The conclusion examines the significance of the aesthetic communitas model and suggests further lines of research for this model.

Although much has been done in the study of values several important questions relative to the study of values remain. This thesis discusses the questions of what happens to the value systems of those who leave their culture for extended periods of time, do the perceptions of value systems become more accurate after exposure, and how does religiosity affect value systems.The study was based on the idea that each of the cultures being tested (Latin and United States) had a distinct, general value system which differentiated it from the other and yet unified the individuals within it. In this particular study this was not true. However, the possible reasons for this occurrance suggest some intriguing questions for further study. It is possible for example, that these results occurred because the sample group contained all LDS individuals and that this similarity in religion caused more similarity than culture caused differences between the sample groups. Also there was an indication that it is easier to differentiate cultures on the basis of their stereotypes of each other than on the basis of their value systems.

Scientists are widely regarded as high status individuals, who are smarter than the vast majority of the population. Science holds a very high status as a discipline, both within and outside of academe. This notwithstanding, popular stereotypes of scientists are often highly negative, with the image of the socially inept or even mad scientist being commonplace. This apparent contradiction is worth exploring. Additionally, we see the label scientific being used to justify pseudoscience and other results that are flatly contradicted by the bulk of scientific research (e.g., links between vaccines and autism). This is not due, as some argue, only or even primarily to a lack of understanding of science. Ultimately, there are two "sciences": science defined by the scientific methodology of the scientists, and the broader cultural use of science as a truthteller without real use of scientific methodology. This dichotomy is wrapped up in both the nature of modernity and the idea of post-modernity. This research uses a content analysis of film to examine the nature of stereotypical portrayals of scientists, and a factor analysis of NSF survey data to investigate the complex attitudes towards science and scientists.

Language is a fundamental component of one's identity, as well as a means of surviving in a globalizing world. This study draws upon sixteen narratives of first-generation Mexican and Puerto Rican parents in Central Florida to answer the research question: What are the language ideologies of Mexican and Puerto Rican immigrant parents towards the English Language acquisition and Spanish Language retention of their children? The information was gathered through semi-structured interviews and it aimed to learn how and if they value English and Spanish bilingualism and whether it was desired for their children. On the one hand, they are aware of the necessity of being fluent in English to properly navigate themselves in the United States and to secure better opportunities for education and careers. However, Spanish retention is just as important as a means to remember ones raices, or roots, which was a statement that was voiced throughout the respondents. Demographic information, language use in different contexts, access to resources, and whether they faced any forms of language discrimination are all factors that were also analyzed to determine a more holistic account of the parents' language ideologies. My results reflect how Latinx family's experiences in the United States have shaped their language ideologies and the language use outcomes of future generations. El lenguaje es un componente fundamental de nuestra identidad, y también un medio para sobrevivir en un mundo globalizado. Este estudio se basa en dieciséis narrativas de padres mexicanos y puertorriqueños de primera generación en Florida Central para responder a la pregunta de investigación: ¿Cuáles son las ideologías del idioma de los padres inmigrantes mexicanos y puertorriqueños hacia la adquisición de inglés y la retención de español de sus hijos? La información fue conseguido a través de entrevistas semiestructuradas, y el objetivo es para aprender cómo y si valoran el bilingüe (inglés y español), y si deseaban esta habilidad para sus hijos. Por un lado, los padres son conscientes de la necesidad de ser fluentes en inglés para navegar adecuadamente por los Estados Unidos y para asegurar mejores oportunidades para su educación y carreras. Sin embargo, la retención de español es importante como un medio para recordar los raices de su cultura; que fue una declaración que se expresó en todo los encuestados. La información demográfica, el uso del lenguaje en diferentes contextos, el acceso a los recursos y si se enfrentaron a alguna forma de discriminación del lenguaje son factores que también se analizaron para determinar un relato más holístico de las ideologías del idioma de los padres. Mis resultados reflejan cómo las experiencias de las familias Latinx en los Estados Unidos han dado forma a sus ideologías de lenguaje y al uso del lenguaje para las futuras generaciones.

This thesis explores the sociological underpinnings of generation by drawing on Mannheim's theory of generations and applying the concept as an explanative force in long-term societal change. Individuals of the same cohort and national culture make for a generation location; they share a similar parameter of experience within the stream of history. As individuals collectively enter into the formative years of adolescence, significant Imprint Events can forge a bond between them in terms of mindset and worldview (Habitus), which endure over the life course. This group of individuals, as a result, develop a generational consciousness that is distinct from other groups who had different generation locations and formative imprints. When that group interacts with elements of their social order through the lens of their distinct generational consciousness, they truly become a social generation. Social generations are not monolithic, however, and separate generation units can emerge when individuals respond to the same formative circumstances in different ways. Some generation units are so prominent or vocal that their response, despite being one of many, is perceived as the perspective of the generation; these units tend to define the legacy of that generation. Through actualizing their generational consciousness in ways both intentional and unintentional, grand and minuscule, a generation acts upon the social process, creating social change or maintaining the status quo. Younger generations, because they are less socialized and routinized by the present configuration of society, are more likely to drive social change. Because new generations emerge with their own consciousness and create change in the image of that consciousness, the ceaseless process of generation succession can be viewed as a driving force of history.

This dissertation examines the practices and social constructions of volunteering in Southern Africa. Grounded in structural and cultural theory, I focus on volunteering as the product, rather than the raw material, of political processes. My approach stresses the volunteers’ perspectives, yet centers on critiques of dominance. In doing so, I destabilize the view of volunteering as inherently pro-social behavior, or as intrinsically characteristic of deepening democratic systems. Combining evidence from Afrobarometer surveys and twelve months of ethnographic fieldwork in South Africa and Zambia I show how meanings and practices, not just resources and capital, shape the socially constructed nature of volunteering given specific historic, economic and political conjunctures. The findings reveal that contemporary practices of volunteering in Southern Africa are a consequence of poverty, paternalistic exchange relationships, and state-civil society partnerships undergirded by foreign development aid. The dissertation is structured around four empirical points. The first concerns who volunteers. I identify characteristics of Africans who are most likely to actively belong to voluntary groups, and pinpoint the role of foreign development aid and poverty in shaping the volunteer landscape. The second highlights the positive connection between civic culture and active voluntary group membership in Africa, but I argue that this association does not inherently translate into greater democratic gains for a country. The third emphasizes “why” people volunteer. I document the exchange nature of volunteering, revealing its practical function for maintaining social cohesion and augmenting social capital, while simultaneously entrenching social hierarchies and paternalistic inequalities. The fourth point offers a theory linking three orientations to volunteering with activities in three different types of civil society. These view can be “allegiant,” “opportunistic,” or “challenging” and steer people toward volunteer activities that match their inclinations to enhance, confront, or preserve given social systems. Throughout this dissertation I illustrate how volunteerism aids residents of complex, diverse societies to define new social relations, craft compatible identities, and make meaning of social change. I present an effort in doing a sociology of volunteerism from Africa, rather simply in Africa, which increases the generalizability of existing theories of volunteerism to post-colonial, developing country contexts.

This text demonstrates that my work on young people who are exploited through prostitution and young people involved in problematic drug use in Britain at the end ofthe twentieth and beginning ofthe twenty-first century constitutes a significant contribution to advancing our knowledge ofthese inter-related issues. The text demonstrates that, in Britain, at the end of the twentieth and beginning ofthe twenty-first century, young people exploited through prostitution and young people involved in problematic drug use share in common lived experiences in poverty at the margins of society. The common theme demonstrated here is that, as a result ofthe poverty generated by social and economic policies adopted in Britain in response to gIobalisation, 'street cultures' play an important role in the development and maintenance of survival strategies adopted by socially marginalised and economically disadvantaged young people. The discussion argues that these cultures perform important functions in time and space for socially and economically marginal young people. They do so in different ways for different young people. At the same time, however, they serve to further entrench their social and economic exclusion and disadvantage.